Hussein Haj Abdou, a 44-year-old physics teacher at Jenderis High School in northwestern Aleppo governorate originally from Kafrsafra village which is administratively a part of Afrin city in northwestern Aleppo governorate, was arrested on October 10, 2024, by personnel from the Syrian National Army’s (SNA) Military Police who raided his house in Kafrsafra village. Hussein was arrested over accusations of working with the SDF. He was then taken to an undisclosed location.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) notes that Hussein has not been allowed to contact his family. We are 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.