Abdul Samad Hashem, a popular singer from al-Bseira city in eastern rural Deir Ez-Zour governorate who now lives in Hasaka city, was arrested on January 25, 2024, by Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) personnel in a raid on his home in Hasaka city. He was then taken to an undisclosed location.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) notes that Abdul Samad’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 the SDF to reveal the fate of thousands of people forcibly disappeared at its hands.
