Syrian Democratic Forces carried out raids in Manbej city in the eastern suburbs of Aleppo governorate on May 31, 2021, following an anti-SDF protest that took place in the city. SNHR documented the arrest of 12 civilians who were 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.
SNHR 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, especially given the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
