By: Ray Zhao

For years, civil war has ravaged Syria. Stemming from political, ethnic, and economic tensions, the civil war has displaced hundreds of thousands and disrupted the lives of millions. The country’s dictator, Bashar al-Assad, has attempted to crush resistance by imprisoning those who speak out against him. However, with a new U.N. resolution, there may be hope for those who are imprisoned.

On June 29, The U.N. general assembly decided to take action against Assad’s totalitarian government by forming a non-political organization to search for the thousands of people missing or imprisoned in government and rebel-held areas.

With three months to begin searching, the organization already has a lot of leads. Syrian rebels were able to leak over 50,000 photos of government prisons and military hospitals that show that thousands of missing people are still alive.

But others don’t know if their relatives or friends are still living. Many have been attacked and abducted by non-state actors, while others have been buried in mass graves, unrecognized and uncounted.

Wafa Mustafa, whose father, Ali, disappeared in 2013, says that the decision is a major step toward ensuring more peace in the region. She says that it might set a precedent for “addressing the suffering” of people in other parts of the world. Those areas include Iraq, Iran, Jordan, and Lebanon, where unknown numbers of people are missing and likely dead.

Some say that the decision is a major step toward addressing other human rights violations in Syria, including the appalling conditions in which political prisoners are held. Others, meanwhile, just want the organization to find their loved ones.

Hamed Hemo, who lives in northeastern Syria, says his son, a journalist, went missing in 2014. With no way of determining where his son is, the lives of Hemo and his wife have changed drastically. But Hemo still hopes that he may one day discover his long-lost son. The U.N. effort might help him locate his son.

Others, of course, are not so hopeful. Assad has denied the existence of political prisoners, despite concrete evidence to the contrary. Many Syrians believe Assad would definitely not cooperate with an investigation and instead block access to prisons. Either way, the U.N. will take action – what remains to be seen if it will work.