Syria: Continued Repression Through Use of Enforced Disappearance

Alkarama strongly condemns the ongoing repression of large parts of the Syrian population. Especially the ongoing use of enforced disappearance by the security services or the Shabiha, paramilitary forces loyal to the regime and to the president's family in particular, give cause for deep concern. There are well founded reasons to fear for the disappeared's wellbeing, as released individuals give shocking testimonies of torture and ill-treatment while in the hands of the security services.

Alkarama considers the wide-spread use of enforced disappearance to be one of the worst forms of torture, as not only the victim himself, deprived of most basic rights guaranteed by international law, but also his family and friends suffer from the uncertainty about the fate of their loved ones.

We continue to be informed of cases of disappearance and have, among others, submitted the situation of the following individuals to the UN Working Group of Enforced Disappearance as well as other relevant UN Special Procedures:

Mr Mahmoud Dred, 49-year-old father of three, has already been disappeared three times for periods ranging from several weeks to two months since the beginning of the demonstrations in Syria in early 2011. He was again abducted close to his home by members of the Shabiha after having been severely beaten on 20 December 2011. His family remains without news of him since that day.

Mr Mahmoud Dred's brother, Mr Sami Dred, who is 31 years old and lives with his family in the same neighbourhood in Al Qadam in the suburbs of Damascus, was arrested nearly three weeks before his brother, in the evening of 2 December 2011. Mr Sami Dred and his mother were the only ones at home when agents of the Military Security entered his house by force and took him with them. His family has not heard of him since that day.

Alkarama is furthermore informed that the whole family suffers from persecution; some family members are in hiding for fear of arrest or abduction. In addition, a third brother, Mr Rashed Dred, was killed on 1 July 2011 while participating in the demonstrations in Al Qadam after the Friday prayer.

About 350km further north, between Idlib and Aleppo, Mr Mohammad Aswad was arrested on 15 December 2011. The 24-year-old medical student was on his way from his hometown Idlib to register for the next term at the University of Aleppo, when he was stopped and abducted by agents of the Military Intelligence at a checkpoint on Aleppo-Idlib Road, close to the Gulf Private University. His family did not hear of him until they were contacted by a person who had been detained in the Aleppo branch of the Military Intelligence and who had met Mr Aswad there on 16 December 2011. Mr Aswad was later seen in the Idlib branch of the Military Intelligence on 26 December 2011 and most recently in the Military Police station in Idlib on 3 January 2011. But, as usual, none of these security services have allowed Mr Aswad to contact his family or even officially recognized his detention.

It is believed that the three men were abducted due to their legitimate exercise of their rights to freedom of opinion and expression and to freedom of peaceful assembly and association. Alkarama urges the Syrian authorities to ensure that they be immediately released or placed under the protection of the law. 

Update, 6 January 2012: We were informed today that Mr Sami Dred was released yesterday, 5 January 2011. However, the respective families have not had any news regarding his brother, Mr Mahmoud Dred, or Mr Mohammad Aswad, who remain disappeared.