April 2022 | SOHR documents 75 arrests and kidnappings across Syria
SOHR calls for immediate release of detainees and disclosing the fate of kidnapped people
While more voices call for revealing the fate of the detainees and kidnapped people across Syria, arbitrary arrests and kidnaps continue amid “timid efforts” by international bodies, like the United Nations and human rights organisations concerned with the Syrian issue.
As a human rights organisation, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) monitored and tracked kidnappings and arrests across Syria in the past month. In April 2022, SOHR documented the kidnapping of nine people, including a child, and the arrest of 63 people, including two women.
Arrests
-Areas under the control of Ankara-backed factions
35 people were arrested on different charges, the most prominent of which were “communication with the Kurdish forces, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Autonomous Administration, and ISIS cells.” Here is a breakdown of these arrests:
- “Euphrates Shield” areas: Seven people.
- “Olive Branch” areas: 28 people, including a woman.
It is worth noting that eight people were released after their families paid levies and money and investigations were accomplished, while the rest remained imprisoned.
-Areas under the Syrian regime control
21 people, including a woman, were arrested on different charges, the most prominent of which are “evading the mandatory and reserve conscription in the regime army,” “communicating with foreign bodies,” and “cybercrimes.” They are distributed regionally as follows:
- Eight young men and men were arrested in Rif Dimashq.
- Six people in Homs.
- Three arrests in Al-Raqqah.
- Three arrests in Daraa.
- A person in Deir Ezzor.
Meanwhile, SOHR documented the death of three civilians under torture in the regime prisons and detention centres in April 2022.
-Areas under the control of the Autonomous Administration
- 18 people were arrested on different charges; they are as follows:
- Four persons in Al-Raqqah.
- 12 persons in Deir Ezzor.
- Two people in Al-Hasakah.
-Areas under the control of Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham and opposition factions
Three people were arrested.
Kidnaps
-Areas under control of Ankara-backed factions: Five people were kidnapped by gunmen, some of whom operating under the banner of the “National Army” factions; they are as follows:
- “Olive Branch” areas: Two persons.
- “Euphrates Shield” areas: Three people.
-Areas under regime control: Four people from Al-Suwaydaa, including a child, were kidnapped by unknown gunmen:
-Areas under the control of the Autonomous Administration: No kidnappings were reported in April 2022.
-Areas under the control of Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham and opposition factions: No kidnappings were reported in April 2022.
SOHR has verified the cases of arrests and kidnaps mentioned in this report and documented most of the names. SOHR also confidently estimates that the total number of kidnapped people is much higher. However, some victims’ families preferred to keep the identities of their sons secret, fearing persecution and punishment by the bodies that had arrested and kidnapped them.
We, at the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), warn against the repercussions of violating and non-complying with international accords signed by Syria, as well as the ongoing indifference by the warring powers in Syria to the issue of detainees and forcibly disappeared. We also appeal to the international community to seriously intensify its efforts to disclose the fate of the detainees and forcibly disappeared people, and identify and hold the perpetrators accountable
SOHR attaches the highest importance to this issue of detainees and always strives to highlight their and their families’ plight and sufferings. SOHR also warns against using “terrorism” as an excuse to arrest politicians and human rights activists, using laws of counter-terrorism to justify arbitrary arrests.
We also call for the inspection of prisons in the entire Syrian geography, especially in regime-held areas, so that the real issue and conditions of detainees are unveiled. Furthermore, the fate of the missing and detainees who have been killed must be disclosed.
