HASAKAH, Syria — Human Rights Watch (HRW) recently welcomed an initiative launched by the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), a civil committee of Kurds, Arabs and Assyrians in the semi-autonomous region of northern Syria, to determine the fate of individuals kidnapped and detained in Syria.

“Families who have long waited for answers to what happened to their missing loved ones will be buoyed by this announcement,” said Michael Page, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at HRW, on April 21. “Local authorities and the US-led coalition should do everything in their power to ensure that the working group has the support it needs to get these answers.”

The SDC had announced the initiative at an April 4 press conference in Qamishli. Ilham Ahmed, president of the SDC’s Executive Committee, delivered remarks, stating, “The initiative requires hard work and a responsible attitude in a bid to end political, human, social and economic suffering. We should also take into account that any political solution begins with confidence-building measures. Such measures start with the release of all detainees and abductees, the disclosure of the fate of the missing and forcibly disappeared individuals and the fair prosecution of those who committed war crimes and terrorist acts.”

The committee tasked with following up on the issue consists of legal professionals, civil society activists and relatives of the missing. It will engage local and regional organizations and institutions in collecting data on arrests, detentions and disappearances.