Syrian Democratic Forces arrested three teachers from Raqqa city in a raid on their workplace, the Alkawakbi Institution in Raqqa city, on February 13, 2022, for allegedly calling on students to protest against the poor living conditions and services in areas under SDF control and against the SDF’s detention practices. The teachers were taken to an undisclosed location.
SNHR notes that no members of the detained teachers’ families were informed of their arrest, while their phones were confiscated, and they have been prevented from contacting their families. We fear they may be subjected to torture and go on to become forcibly disappeared, as is the case for 85% of detainees.
We call for financial and psychological restitution for the victims and their families, as well as for an end to all arbitrary detention, and for the fate of hundreds of individuals forcibly disappeared by Syrian Democratic Forces to be revealed. We note that these arrests are carried out with the objective of spreading fear and terror in the community and blackmailing the detainees’ families. We have additional, well-founded fears for the detainees’ wellbeing due to the spread of COVID-19.
