Articles for Syria

On 25 March 2015, Walid Issa, a 27-year-old student from Al-Yaarubiyah in the al-Hasakah Governorate, was travelling home from Turkey when, passing in the city of Al Raqqah, he was stopped at Point 11, an area hosting the headquarters of the 'Islamic State' (IS) security offices near the soccer stadium known as "the black stadium." The officers, wearing black uniforms and identifying themselves as IS members, immediately arrested him.

In May 2016, Alkarama and Human Rights Guardians sent to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced Disappearances (WGEID) three cases of enforced disappearance of Syrian citizens who had been arrested by the Military Intelligence – or "Military Security", affiliated to the Ministry of D

In 2013 a UN panel concluded that the crime of enforced disappearances in Syria was widespread and used as "tactic of war." Amongst the patterns identified, the panel was concerned over the prevalence of disappearance of individuals at checkpoints and highlighted that such practice was used by the government to punish those they suspect of supporting the opposition.

Ammar Tellawi, a 36-year-old peaceful activist and PhD student at Damascus University disappeared in July 2014 from Adra prison where he was detained. After family visits were denied, Ammar was transferred to another unknown location, and the prison administration refused to give his relatives any information on his fate and whereabouts.

In April 2016, Alkarama documented two more cases of enforced disappearance that took place in Syria in 2012 and 2013. The first case is that of Rami Al Jadi, a 25-year-old worker, who on 23 July 2012, was with two of his friends in a Damascus neighbourhood, when they were arrested by officers of the Syrian Army, who did not give any reason for the arrest. The families never received any official information on their fate and whereabouts.

In April 2016, Alkarama wrote to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced Disappearances (WGEID) regarding the cases of three Syrian citizens, Qassab Jamal, Mohammad Saleem al Sharqa – who had already been arrested in 2012 for their participation in peaceful demonstrations – and Nassir Al Nuaimi. All three Syrian citizens disappeared after their arrest by the security services between 2012 and 2014.

On 24 March 2016, Alkarama submitted its report on Syria's human rights record to the Human Rights Council (HRC) in view of the country's second Universal Periodic Review (UPR) – an interactive discussion between the State under review and other UN Member States on its human rights record –, which wi

During an arrest raid that took place on 14 May 2012, Syrian army officers abducted 29-year-old Shamel Najjar and his brother, 31-year old carpenter Tamer, taking both to an unknown location and later refusing to recognise their arrest and detention.

Over the last weeks, Alkarama received the testimonies of relatives of four men who disappeared following their arrests at various checkpoints in Syria between July 2012 and May 2015. All the arrests were conducted by members of the Security Services or the Military, who did not present a warrant nor inform the victims of the reasons of their arrest. The four men remain disappeared since.

Between 12 and 19 January 2016, Alkarama and Human Rights Guardians documented three cases of enforced disappearances that occurred in Syria between November 2011 and October 2013.