Syrian Democratic Forces carried out raids on the villages of Teeb al Fal, al Jarthi, Abu Neitel, Jdeed Ekidat, al Tabiya and the town of Gharnij in the northern and eastern suburbs of Deir Ez-Zour governorate on January 19 and 20, 2021. SNHR documented that 31 civilians were arrested in the raids and taken to an undisclosed location.
SNHR notes that none of the detained people’s family members were informed of their arrests, with their phones being confiscated, preventing them from contacting their families. SNHR fears that they will be subjected to torture and ultimately classified as forcibly ‘disappeared’ like approximately 85 percent of the individuals detained in Syria.
SNHR further notes that about 3,398 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.
