A reporter for the Kurdistan Democratic Party in Syria, named as Izz al Din Zain al Abdin, from al Malekiya city in the northern suburbs of Hasaka governorate was arrested on July 17, 2021, by Syrian Democratic Forces gunmen in front of his home in al Mahatta area in al Qameshli city in the northern suburbs of the governorate and taken to an undisclosed location.
SNHR notes that no member of Izz al Din’s family was informed of his arrest or whereabouts, 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 all detained persons in Syria.
We can confirm that at least 3,796 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.
