A man, identified as 25-year-old Hareth Yousef Rahil from Kanaker town in western Rural Damascus ‘Rif Dimshaq’ governorate who works at a tourism and travel office, was arrested on March 5, 2024, by Syrian regime forces after being summoned to the Criminal Security branch in Damascus city. He was then taken to an undisclosed location.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) notes that Hareth’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 Syrian regime forces to reveal the fate of thousands of people forcibly disappeared at its hands.
