On Sunday, May 4, 2025, unidentified gunmen abducted Dr. Mahmoud Hamdan, a 53-year-old general surgeon from Sarijis Village in Tartous Governorate. The gunmen raided his clinic in the town of Wadi al-Ayoun in Hama suburbs.
According to reliable local sources obtained by the Syrian Network for Human Rights, an armed group abducted Dr. Hamdan while he was in his clinic and took him to an unknown location. Neither the party responsible for his abduction nor the reasons behind the incident are known.
His family confirmed that they had lost contact with him since the incident, raising concerns about his fate.
It should be noted that the area where the abduction occurred is under the control of transitional government forces. SNHR is still working to gather eyewitness accounts to verify and fully document the circumstances of the incident.
Legal Conclusions
The abduction of a civilian by armed men and their taking to an unknown location without disclosing their whereabouts or fate, and without allowing their family to contact them, constitutes enforced disappearance, even if the party responsible is not clearly identified.
The unlawful deprivation of liberty through abduction and the absence of judicial proceedings violates Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees that no one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention.
Given the seriousness of the conditions of unlawful detention and the absence of any judicial oversight or safeguards, there is concern for the safety of the abductee, which constitutes a direct threat to their right to life and physical and psychological integrity, guaranteed under Articles 6 and 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The continued occurrence of kidnappings without identifying or prosecuting those responsible reflects an institutional failure to provide legal protection for civilians and perpetuates a climate of impunity, threatening to increase the incidence of these violations.
The transitional government bears the legal responsibility for protecting civilians and revealing the fate of the abducted person, even if it was not the party that carried out the kidnapping.
Recommendations by SNHR
- Launch an immediate and comprehensive investigation into the kidnapping incident, under the supervision of an independent body, and work to determine the victim’s location and fate, while taking all necessary measures to ensure his safety and return to his family.
- Publish the results of the investigation to the public and clarify the steps taken by the authority controlling the area to uncover the circumstances of the incident and hold the perpetrators accountable. This will contribute to strengthening confidence in justice and the rule of law.
- Strengthen protection mechanisms in areas outside central control by monitoring armed groups, preventing any illegal activities, and activating local and international oversight.
- Provide psychological and legal support to the family of the kidnapped person and appoint an official contact person to enable the family to follow up on his case and receive updates on the progress of the investigation.
- Launch civil awareness campaigns to combat the culture of extrajudicial kidnapping and encourage families to report cases, while ensuring protection for survivors and witnesses.
