A man, identified as 41-year-old Waqfi Alou, was arrested on December 31, 2023, by Syrian National Army (SNA) personnel who raided his house in his hometown of Jendeires, administratively affiliated with Afrin city in northwestern Aleppo governorate, over accusations of his working with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). He was then taken to an undisclosed location.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) notes that Waqfi’s phone was seized following his arrest, and he has not been allowed to contact his family.
SNHR is concerned that he may be subjected to torture in detention and may go on to become another enforced disappearance case, 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 of such detentions and for 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 on all armed opposition factions/SNA to reveal the fate of thousands of people forcibly disappeared at its hands.
