Syria: Over 100 cases of arbitrary arrests carried out in July by Damascus govt, SDF

At least 109 people have been arbitrarily arrested by Syrian authorities in July, a new report by the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) has revealed.

The report goes on to call for regulations to be enforced to halt the arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances taking place, urging the government to guarantee the basic rights of citizens.

A breakdown in the report states that 12 of the arrests were carried out by the current transitional government and 36 were carried out by the Syrian Democratic forces (SDF), including five children.

The Raqqa governorate was registered as having the highest number of detentions, followed by Deir ez-Zour and Hasakah.

According to SyriaTV, the SDF has carried out more arrests than it has freed prisoners in recent weeks. Reports also noted that many of those detained were due to them criticising the SDF's policies.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights said many of the detentions they recorded were carried out without legal clarification or referral to the public prosecution, which it noted was a violation of legal procedures and international safeguards.

The rights monitor said that it has documented several cases of detentions made in Homs, Tartous and Queneitra, with individuals often targeted based on vague accusations.

It added that the arrests are being made without judicial warrants or transparent investigations, in violation of Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Local Arabic media reported that children have been detained to be recruited in SDF training camps, and their families have been denied access to information about their whereabouts.

Despite this, there have been some releases, with 11 prisoners released from transitional government detention centres in Homs and Hama. An additional 14 were released from SDF centres, including two children, in Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights issued a list of recommendations, including calling for the monitoring of physical and psychological violations, establishing accountability mechanisms and urging the international community to take action. 

They further called for those responsible for the detentions to be referred to the International Criminal Court and for efforts to be made to support reconciliation programmes as well as uncover the fate of those forcibly displaced in the country.

Increased bouts of violence and arrests in recent months have raised questions about the authorities’ ability to maintain stability and security in the country.