On the International Day of the Disappeared and according to the Committee of the Families of the Kidnapped and Disappeared in Lebanon, about 17,000 individuals remain missing, their fates still unknown, leaving behind families in an agonizing limbo.
In recognition of this solemn occasion, the Committee of the Families of the Kidnapped and Disappeared, in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross, organized an event in front of the United Nations building in Beirut.
Dubbed “Suspended Time,” the event aimed to highlight the importance of supporting the families of the missing and activate the efforts of the National Commission for the Missing and Forcibly Disappeared.
Dozens of families participated in the event, holding up pictures of their missing loved ones.
The gathering also involved the distribution of a booklet named “Suspended Time,” created by the families themselves, each page featuring a photograph of a missing person to emphasize the urgency and continuing need to address the issue.
Sputnik News spoke with several family members who reiterated their steadfastness in seeking information about their missing relatives. “What unites all these families is the wait for any news about their loved ones, an ordeal passed down from generation to generation,” they expressed.
Eshleman, head of the Red Cross mission in Lebanon, stated that for over a decade, the International Committee of the Red Cross has been supporting affected families by collecting pre-disappearance data and biological samples to aid authorities in eventually determining the fate and whereabouts of the missing.
Wadad Halwani, the President of the Committee of the Families of the Kidnapped and Disappeared in Lebanon, mentioned that while the International Day of the Disappeared has been observed globally since 2011, for families in Lebanon, every day has been a day of the disappeared for the past 48 years.
Halwani also lamented the continued finding of human remains in various regions, while authorities shirk their responsibilities.
As the world observes the International Day of the Disappeared, Lebanon faces its own haunting tally of missing persons.
Despite years of efforts and international support, thousands of families are still left with unanswered questions, passing on their agonizing wait from generation to generation.
