The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) revealed that it documented at least 226 cases of arbitrary arrests across Syria in the past month. This alarming figure marks May 2023 as the month with the highest rate of arrests at the hands of the Assad regime forces, according to the network.
In a report issued on Friday, the monitoring group said that the Assad regime forces primarily targeted refugees who were deported from Lebanon, as well as civilians under the pretext of the Anti-Cyber Crime Law. These reasons were identified as the main factors contributing to the surge in arrests carried out by the regime forces.
Out of the recorded 226 cases of arrest, 6 involved children and 11 involved women, the monitoring group said, noting that 179 of these cases resulted in enforced disappearances, with 108 of them directly attributed to the Assad regime forces. The report further documented 32 cases of arrest by the PYD militia, including 3 children and one woman. Additionally, 47 arrests were carried out by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, involving two children and one woman, while other parties accounted for 39 cases, including one child and 7 women.
Furthermore, the report revealed that an estimated 135,253 detainees are currently held by the Assad regime. It noted that the amnesty decrees issued by the regime thus far have led to the release of only a limited number of detainees. Arbitrary arrests, on the other hand, remain a widespread practice, with the regime persistently engaging in such acts alongside enforced disappearances.
The report also sheds light on the geographic distribution of the arrest cases. Aleppo province witnessed the highest number of incidents, followed by Rural Damascus, Idlib, Damascus, Deir Ezzor, Homs, Daraa, and Hama.
Addressing the dire situation, the Network called upon the UN Security Council to ensure the implementation of UN Resolutions 2042, 2043, and 2139. It emphasized the urgent need for the release of children and women, as well as the cessation of holding families and friends as hostages of war.
(Source: SOC’s Media Department)
