A boy from al Sh-heil city in the eastern suburbs of Deir Ez-Zour governorate, named as Malek Hamoud al Ahmad al Hujur, was arrested on December 1, 2020, by Syrian Democratic Forces who were supported by a US-led coalition forces’ helicopter, during a raid on his home in the city and taken to an undisclosed location. SNHR notes that no member of Malek’s family was informed of his arrest, with his phone being confiscated, preventing him from contacting his family. SNHR fears that he will be subjected to torture and ultimately classified as forcibly ‘disappeared’ like approximately 85 percent of the individuals detained in Syria. SNHR notes that about 3,337 Syrian citizens are still detained or forcibly disappeared in the SDF’s detention centers, constituting a grave threat to their wellbeing given the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
