Twelve years on, fate of two kidnapped Aleppo archbishops remains unknown. Patriarchs of Antioch appeal for justice

HOLEB (ALEPPO) — April 22 marks the 12th anniversary of the kidnapping of Archbishop Yohanna Ibrahim of the Syriac Orthodox Church and Archbishop Boulos Yazigi of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch, a case that remains shrouded in uncertainty. Despite years of investigations, the identity of those responsible, their motives, and the whereabouts of the archbishops remain unknown.

The two church leaders were abducted on April 22, 2013, while returning from Bab al-Hawa, a border crossing between Turkey and Syria, where they had been engaged in humanitarian work. Their convoy was intercepted near Kafr Dael, on the outskirts of Holeb (Aleppo), by armed extremists, including Chechen militants. The attackers fatally shot the archbishops’ driver, Deacon Fattouh, and took the clerics to an undisclosed location.

Since their disappearance, no credible claims of responsibility have surfaced, and no verified leads have emerged regarding their fate. Over the years, mentions of their case in media and political discourse have grown rare, raising concerns that international actors and local authorities have neglected efforts to uncover the truth.

On the anniversary of the kidnapping, the Assyrian Human Rights Observatory (AHRO) has urged the Syrian Transitional Government (STG) to launch an impartial investigation into the incident. The group has called for international cooperation with human rights organizations and United Nations bodies specializing in enforced disappearances to ensure that justice is served and that the fate of the archbishops—and others who have vanished—can finally be revealed.

Also read: The bishop that Syria still goes without

The Syriac Orthodox and Greek (Rum) Orthodox Patriarch today issued a joint statement calling for justice after all these years. The statement states that the Greek Orthodox and Syriac Orthodox Patriarchates have spared no effort in following up on this sensitive and complex issue. “Over twelve years, the case has been raised repeatedly with many parties, including Syria, Lebanon, Türkiye, Jordan, as well as countries like Cyprus, Greece, and Italy. It has also been addressed to the Vatican, Russia, and the United States. However, we reached no result, and no clear and certain outcomes.”

The two church hierarchs call the kidnapping case “a fundamental matter for both churches and all Eastern Christians, as it reflects part of the suffering of the Eastern human being in facing the challenges of remaining in their land,” and hope for quick answers to the bishop’s fate.