Syria's commission for missing persons said on Saturday that the six children of chess champion and dentist Rania al-Abbasi were killed after disappearing with their parents more than a decade ago under former President Bashar al-Assad.
In a post on X, the interior ministry said: “Through investigations conducted with several detainees, information and evidence indicate that the children were killed by groups and militias affiliated with the former regime.”
It added that “efforts to find the remains... are still ongoing”.
According to the statement, video footage and information related to the case, provided by the National Commission for the Missing, have strengthened the evidence collected.
The family was informed of the findings before any public announcement, in line with a protocol intended to protect their right to know while safeguarding their dignity, according to the interior ministry's statement.
