On Friday, August 8, 2025, civilian Abdul Hamid Zakaria Hassan, a resident of the village of Al-Ziyara, located in the city of Afrin, northwest of Aleppo Governorate, was arbitrarily arrested by members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood of Aleppo, a city under their control.
According to information we obtained from reliable local sources, security forces arrested Abdul Hamid while he was in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood and, after his arrest, took him to an unknown location. The sources also confirmed that the arrest/detention was carried out without an official warrant and was carried out in a humiliating manner.
Legal Conclusions:
- This arrest, without a formal warrant, clear charges, or a competent judicial authority, constitutes a violation of Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibits arbitrary detention and requires that detainees be informed of the reasons for their arrest and be able to challenge it before a court.
- Taking a detainee to an unknown location and preventing them from communicating with their families or a lawyer represents them is classified as enforced disappearance, and is prohibited under the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, which affirms the right to know the whereabouts of detainees and to protect them from ill-treatment.
- Confiscating a detainee’s phone without a warrant violates the right to private property and constitutes an arbitrary practice that contravenes fundamental safeguards governing criminal procedure.
- Detention carried out in a degrading manner constitutes torture, which is prohibited at all times.
Syrian Network for Human Rights Recommendations:
- The immediate and unconditional release of those detained in this incident, or their referral to a civilian court that meets the conditions for a fair trial, if there are genuine legal charges against them.
- Open a transparent and independent investigation into the conditions of his detention, particularly into allegations of degrading treatment, and hold those responsible for violations accountable.
- Enabling them to communicate with their families and lawyers representing them, and ensuring their physical and psychological safety during their detention, in accordance with international standards.
