Thamer Habib al-Talla, a lawyer from Hasaka city, was arrested by Syrian regime forces in late April 2024, outside the Palace of Justice in the city, where he was working. He was then taken to the local branch of the regime’s Criminal Security branch in the city.
According to intelligence gathered by the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), Thamer’s family learned that his health began to deteriorate a few days after his detention. Although family members urged Criminal Security personnel to transfer him to Hasaka city for urgent medical treatment, all of their appeals were turned down.
On May 8, 2024, Thamer’s family was notified by a Syrian regime official that he had died at the Criminal Security branch in Hasaka city. His body was returned to his family at the city’s Shabou Hospital later that day. SNHR can confirm that Thamer was in good health at the time of his arrest, indicating a strong probability that he died due to torture and medical negligence in the Criminal Security branch in Hasaka city.
International law strictly prohibits torture and all other forms of cruel, degrading, or inhumane torture. The prohibition of torture is a customary rule that cannot be disputed or balanced against other rights or values, even in times of emergency. Violating this rule is a crime under international criminal law. Those who issued the orders for or assisted in carrying out torture are criminally liable for their actions.
SNHR condemns all abduction and torture practices by Syrian regime personnel, as by all other forces. We call for the immediate launch of an independent investigation into all incidents of arrest and torture that have taken place, particularly this latest barbaric incident. We also call for all of those involved in such crimes to be held accountable, from the officials issuing the orders to the individuals who carried them out and all who colluded in the process. The findings of these investigations and accountability processes must be made public to the Syrian people. All of those involved in abduction and torture practices over the years must be exposed, discharged, and tried for these crimes, while the survivors and victims’ families must be compensated for the horrendous physical and moral trauma inflicted on them.
