Syria’s National Commission for Missing Persons (NCMP) announced on Saturday that the six children of dentist and former chess champion Rania al-Abbasi are likely dead. The children, along with their parents, disappeared in March 2013 during the rule of then-President Bashar al-Assad.

The commission stated it had reached "reliable and corroborating results" confirming the children's fate with "a high degree of professional certainty." The disappearance of al-Abbasi's children had become a symbol for the broader issue of missing children whose parents were detainees or forcibly disappeared under al-Assad's regime.

According to rights groups, Rania al-Abbasi, her husband Abdul Rahman Yasin, and their six children, aged three to 15, went missing after government forces raided their Damascus home. The NCMP, established in May 2025 by the country's new leadership to investigate missing persons cases, based its findings on "multiple verification and analysis procedures" conducted with national authorities. Efforts to locate the children's remains are ongoing.

Hassan al-Abbasi, Rania's brother, shared a video on Facebook confirming the children's deaths. He stated the family had seen video recordings from a suspect in a 2013 massacre, which included accusations against children in a dark room, identifying them as "major financiers of terrorism." He identified these children as his niece and nephews.

The fate of Rania al-Abbasi and her husband remains officially unknown, with all contact lost after their arrest. They were reportedly accused of being linked to opposition against the government. While rights groups and media reports suggest they may also be deceased, their bodies have not been found.

The issue of missing persons is a significant concern in Syria, encompassing detainees who vanished from government prisons, individuals lost during conflict, and those who disappeared at checkpoints or while fleeing their homes throughout the civil war. Tens of thousands have been detained or disappeared since the conflict began in 2011.

Last year, the NCMP estimated that the number of people missing over decades of al-Assad family rule could exceed 300,000. The commission's findings in the al-Abbasi case are part of a broader effort to address the widespread disappearances that have plagued the country for years.

Separately, the Syrian Ministry of Interior announced on Saturday that its investigation into the al-Abbasi children's disappearance has uncovered evidence implicating Amjad Youssef, a known figure from the former al-Assad regime, in the killings.