Syrian Democratic Forces backed by a US-led coalition helicopter, carried out raids on al Bseira city in the eastern suburbs of Deir Ez-Zour governorate on April 21, 2021. SNHR has documented the arrest of five civilians, including two Imams from al Bseira city’s mosques, in the raids, with all those detained taken to an undisclosed location.
SNHR notes that no members of the detainees’ families were informed of their arrest or whereabouts, 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 all detained persons in Syria.
We can confirm that at least 3,784 Syrian citizens are still detained or forcibly disappeared in the SDF’s detention centers, constituting a grave threat to the detainees’ wellbeing, particularly given the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
