SIBELIA EL-IBRAHIM

Raqqa- The city of Raqqa, northeastern Syria, was liberated from ISIS on October 20, 2017. The liberation of the city was like a new birth for the people of North and East Syria because it was one of the areas controlled by ISIS. Although seven years have passed since the city was liberated, the women, whose relatives went missing after being arrested by ISIS, hope that their missing relatives will return one day. NuJINHA spoke to several women of Raqqa, whose relatives are still missing.

  Speaking about what they had witnessed when the city was controlled by ISIS, Fadha Al-Xalaf said, “We witnessed injustice. The rights violations committed by ISIS against us are indescribable. They forced women to wear black burqa and veils. Once, the members of ISIS were going to arrest my daughter because she did not wear a veil. In 2015, my husband was arrested by mercenaries when he was 50. He was arrested for allegedly kidnapping a member of Syrian government forces. Of course, the accusation was unfounded. They raided our house at midnight and arrested my husband. They took him to a stadium used as a prison.”

‘I will never lose hope’

Raqqa’s municipal stadium was turned into a prison where brutal crimes against women, especially Yazidis, were committed. Fadha el-Xalaf described the prison as “A place, where all forms of violence and injustice took place.” After she visited her husband in the prison, her husband went missing. “I looked for him in every detention center, even in the detention center in the city of Manbij; however, I could not find him…Since then, I have been waiting for my husband to return. I will never lose hope.”

‘Our wounds are still bleeding’

Speaking about the liberation of Raqqa, she said, “When we heard the launch of the Raqqa campaign, we felt very excited because we could find our missing relatives when the city was liberated. ISIS was defeated and the city was liberated; however, our wounds are still bleeding because we cannot find our missing relatives. There are hundreds of missing people. The women, whose relatives went missing, are still suffering because they receive no information about their relatives.”

 Her son went missing

The story of 50-year-old Fatima Samir, mother of three, is not different. Due to the ongoing Syrian crisis, her two children left the country and one of her sons went missing after being arrested by ISIS. “My missing son was 34 years old and had four children when he was arrested by ISIS in 2017. We looked for him everywhere but we could not find him. We witnessed horrific crimes when the city was controlled by ISIS. Once, I witnessed ISIS members cut off someone's hand. We have not received any information about our son. Now, my husband and I take care of his children. Now, we are old people and have no power.”

She lost two children

Two children of 60-year-old Wadha Abdullah Al-Kardawi, mother of four, went missing after being arrested in Raqqa by ISIS. “One of my sons was 22 when he was arrested by ISIS and the other was 18 when he was arrested. When this city was controlled by ISIS, women were subjected to inhuman practices. We had to wear veils even in front of our houses. Perfume, make-up, jewelry and colorful clothes were prohibited for women. Once, my daughter went out without wearing a veil. ISIS members saw her and then arrested my son, my husband and my brother-in-law. They all were arrested because my daughter went out without wearing a veil. After a week of torture, they were released.”

Speaking about the liberation of Raqqa, she said, “We were impatiently waiting for the Syrian Democratic Forces to liberate our city. We will never forget the atrocity of ISIS. We are happy for the liberation of our city but we are unhappy because our children are still missing. We support the decision of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria on the prosecution of ISIS members. ISIS members should be prosecuted soon.”