On September 7, 2023, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) carried out a raid and arrest campaign in al-Azba town in northern rural Deir Ez-Zour governorate. The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) documented the arrest of eight civilians on charges of being affiliated with Arab tribes. They were then taken to an undisclosed location.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) notes that the detainees’ phones were seized following their arrest, and they have not been allowed to contact their family.
SNHR is concerned that they may be subjected to torture in detention and may go on to become enforced disappearance cases, with 85% of all those detained in Syria falling into this category.
We call for the provision of both material and moral reparations for the victims and their families, and call on all parties to put an end to all arbitrary detentions whose only purpose is to spread mass fear and extort people.
We also call for the fates of thousands of people forcibly disappeared at the hands of SDF to be revealed.
