The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) said that it had recorded no fewer than 143 arrests across Syria in March, including against two children and nine women. It said that the Assad regime continues to crack down on freedom of expression and tries to silence critics of the deteriorating living conditions in the areas under its control.
In a report issued on Saturday, the Network pointed out that the fate of 115 of those who were detained in March is still unknown. It noted that the Assad regime detained 58 people, including two women, while the PYD militia detained 52 others, including two children. The report also said that Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham detained seven people, the fate of four of whom is still unknown.
The report indicated that detainees held by the Assad regime are being subjected to brutal torture and held in extremely dire conditions and very poor hygiene. It warned of seriousness of the situation with the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, noting that the lives of approximately 130,000 detainees are at serious risk.
According to the report, the majority of March arrests took place in the provinces of Aleppo, Raqqa, Rural Damascus and Deir Ezzor.
The Network called on the UN Security Council to follow up on the implementation of resolutions 2042, 2043 (2012), and resolution 2139 (2014) calling for an end to enforced disappearance. (Source: SOC’s Media Department)
