On Monday, May 5, 2025, Ahmed Mohammed Hamoudi, born in 2008 and originally from the village of Dala, in the city of Afrin, northwest of Aleppo Governorate, was kidnapped by members of the Revolutionary Youth “Jowanen Shorshker” affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood of Aleppo for forced conscription.
According to what SNHR documented from reliable local sources, members of the Revolutionary Youth kidnapped the child Ahmed from in front of his home in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood and took him to one of their recruitment centers. The information also confirmed that the child is displaced and resides in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood.
SNHR notes that his family was not informed of the recruitment process, and the child was prevented from communicating with his relatives or allowing them to visit him. The network fears that the child will be involved in military operations, whether directly or indirectly. The network also confirms that approximately 413 children are still being held in forced recruitment camps run by the Syrian Democratic Forces.
Legal Conclusions
- The abduction of the child Ahmed Hamoudi and forced recruitment constitute a flagrant violation of Article 38 of the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, which obliges controlling powers to take all feasible measures to ensure that children under the age of 18 do not take part in hostilities. Since the child was born in 2008, he was under the age of 18 at the time of the incident, making the incident a clear violation of the convention.
- Recruiting children under the age of 18 into armed conflict is a war crime under Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Abduction for the purpose of forced recruitment amounts to inhuman treatment under the Geneva Conventions.
- Preventing contact with the family and not disclosing the child’s whereabouts constitutes enforced disappearance under the definition of the 2006 International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. It also constitutes an unlawful deprivation of liberty, without legal justification, which violates Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
- Abducting a child on her way to school violates Article 28 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the right to education, as well as Article 16 on the protection of family life and privacy.
Recommendations by SNHR
- The immediate and unconditional release of the child, Ahmed Hamoudi, and ensuring his safe return to his family, along with providing him with psychological and social support.
- Cease all recruitment of children by the Syrian Democratic Forces, including its civilian wings such as the Revolutionary Youth.
- Open an independent and impartial investigation into the circumstances of the child’s abduction and other cases of child recruitment and hold those responsible for the violations accountable.
- Allow international organizations, particularly the International Commission of Inquiry, UNICEF, and the International Committee of the Red Cross, to enter recruitment camps and ensure the safety of children detained there.
- The transitional government in Damascus must protect all Syrian citizens from all forms of violations against them and hold their perpetrators accountable.
