On September 19, 2025, the Syrian Network for Human Rights documented the arbitrary detention of civilian Burhan Jarwan al-Saleh, a resident of the village of Koudna in the Quneitra countryside, by Israeli occupation forces during a ground incursion supported by military vehicles into the village.
According to reliable local sources, Israeli occupation forces arrested Burhan Jarwan al-Saleh while he was herding sheep near the village of Kudna and forcibly took him to an unknown location. The network documented his release approximately two hours later, without any clear legal procedures, which makes his detention arbitrary, prohibited under international human rights law.
We are continuing our investigations, including reviewing and gathering more evidence and information. Therefore, we hope that anyone with information or details related to this incident will share them with us via our official email address: [email protected]
Legal Conclusions:
- The detention of a civilian without a judicial warrant, a clear security imperative, or charges, and without respect for fair trial guarantees, constitutes arbitrary detention under Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibits deprivation of liberty without legal basis.
- Since the detained civilian is a resident of a temporarily occupied territory (due to the Israeli military incursion), his forcible transfer to a military facility of the occupying power constitutes a violation of Articles 49 and 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibit the forcible transfer and unlawful detention of protected persons.
- According to Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions (Article 75), all detained persons must be treated humanely, with respect for their legal rights. This requirement was not respected in this case, neither in terms of the legal basis for the detention, nor in terms of its duration or location.
- The Israeli military incursion and detention operations inside Syrian territory constitute a flagrant violation of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity of any Member State. It constitutes an act of aggression that contravenes the rules of international law.
- The detention of civilians in their villages constitutes a repressive measure that impacts economic and social rights and indicates the targeting of civilians based on their local environment or geographical location. This conduct is retaliatory and prohibited.
- The repeated incursions and occupation of military barracks inside Syria, as well as the implementation of security operations and detentions, are practices that perpetuate an unrecognized occupation and may pave the way for demographic change or the imposition of a de facto military authority, threatening broader grave violations.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights strongly condemns the Israeli ground incursion, raids, and arbitrary detention of civilians, and stresses that these practices constitute a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In this context, the Syrian Network for Human Rights recommends the following:
- Clear international condemnation of the illegal detention by the Israeli occupation forces, considering it a violation of the Geneva Conventions and the UN Charter, requiring legal accountability.
- Calling on the UN Security Council and Human Rights Council to investigate the incident, through mechanisms such as the International Independent Mechanism (IIIM), and document it within the pattern of Israeli violations in southern Syria.
- Demanding that Israel disclose details of the detention process, provide public legal justifications, and compensate the detained civilians for the violations they suffered, including material and moral damage.
- Deploying international monitoring forces or expanding the mandate of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) to include monitoring cases of detention and violations against civilians in the Syrian border areas.
- Activating international criminal accountability tools, especially the International Criminal Court (ICC), to consider classifying these practices as war crimes related to unlawful detention in occupied or disputed territories.
- Improving the protection of civilians in conflict zones by establishing local early warning networks and documenting the movements of unauthorized foreign forces, in cooperation with civil society organizations and local human rights activists.
