Syrian Democratic Forces carried out raids in al Sh-heil city in the eastern suburbs of Deir Ez-Zour governorate on December 13, 2020, following an anti-SDF protest in the city. SNHR documented that eight civilians were arrested in the raids and taken to a detention center.
SNHR notes that none of the detained people’s family members were informed of their arrests, with their phones being confiscated, preventing them from contacting their families. SNHR fears that they will be subjected to torture and ultimately classified as forcibly ‘disappeared’ like approximately 85 percent of the individuals detained in Syria.
SNHR notes that about 3,398 Syrian citizens are still detained or forcibly disappeared in the SDF’s detention centers, constituting a grave threat to their wellbeing given the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
