Ismail al-Laban, a member of the Legislative Council affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces’ (SDF) Civilian Council of Deir Ez-Zour, was shot dead near Khaled bin al-Walid Mosque in al-Keshkiya town in eastern Deir Ez-Zour governorate on December 15, 2023, by gunmen we have not yet been able to identify as they passed him on a motorbike. The gunfire also injured Abdul Karim al-Jalloud, the head of the Abu Hamam Municipality.
The area is under the control of the SDF. SNHR is still trying to locate eyewitnesses to obtain more information about the incident. We call on the controlling forces to uphold their responsibilities for protecting civilians in their areas, to investigate this incident, and to make the investigation’s findings known to the public. Syria will never have true stability without a genuine political transition process towards democracy within a fixed timetable.
