Syrian regime forces carried out raids in al Herak city and al Mleiha al Gharbiya town in the eastern suburbs of Daraa governorate on January 23, 2022. SNHR documented the arrest of five civilians in the raids, all of whom were taken to an undisclosed location.
The arrests weren’t carried out based on any legal warrant issued by a court, and the detainees’ families weren’t informed of their arrest, while their phones were confiscated, and they weren’t allowed to contact their families or even a lawyer. We fear they will probably be subjected to torture and will ultimately be classified as forcibly disappeared, as is the case for 85% of detainees in Syria.
SNHR calls for financial and psychological restitution for the victims and their families, as well as an end to all arbitrary detention, and for the fate of thousands of individuals forcibly disappeared by Syrian regime forces to be revealed. We note that these arrests are carried out with the objective of spreading fear and terror in the community and blackmailing the detainees’ families. We have additional, well-founded fears for the detainees’ wellbeing due to the spread of COVID-19.
