Despite the fake Russian guarantee, about 40 civilians arrested by the security branches in towns and villages of “reconciliation” south of Hama in less than 5 months

The regime forces and militiamen loyal to them were able to control the areas which used to be controlled by the factions in the southern countryside of Hama, under an agreement carried out by a Russian mediation on the second of May 2018, which provides for the departure of fighters to the Syrian north and the stay of those who want to stay with Russian guarantee provided that they will “settle their situations”, but these guarantees quickly faded with the entry of the regime forces and their security branches to the towns and villages of the southern countryside of Hama, and shortly after began their raids and arbitrary arrests on various pretexts, as well as the “looting” operations and theft of citizens’ property, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented since the entry of the regime forces to the southern countryside of Hama in May 2018 until the beginning of October 2018, more than 38 cases of arrests of citizens who rejected the displacement process and decided to stay in their towns and villages, but they were not spared from regime’s security forces, who have been arrested them during 4 and a half months from the towns and villages of Hirbnafsah, Deir Fardis, Aqrab, al-Dminah, al-Tlul al-Homr and others south of Hama adjacent to the northern countryside of Homs, and the Syrian Observatory published on Wednesday that regime’s security branches continue their abusive raids throughout the Syrian areas, especially the areas in which “reconciliation and settlement” were carried out, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored raids and arrests carried out by regime’s intelligence and security branches in the towns of Saqba, Kafr Batna, Jesrin, and Zamalka in the Eastern Ghouta, where they arrested at least 11 citizens including a woman without charge, and they were taken to an unknown destination until the moment. And in Daraa province, the Syrian Observatory monitored during the last 24 hours the arrest of 4 people from Mahja town in the countryside of Daraa by the security branches, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published yesterday, Tuesday, that the  promises and assurances given by Russia to those who did not leave the areas to which the regime forces have recently entered by “reconciliation and settlement,” or by military operations throughout Syria, appear to be only fictitious promises and false guarantees, where regime’s the security and intelligence branches continue their abusive raids and arrests in Daraa city and its countryside, southern Damascus, Eastern and Western al-Ghouta, as well as the northern countryside of Homs, where regime’s intelligence services have not had enough with raids only in these areas, but they have also carried out raids and arrested displaced people from al-Rokban camps, who have returned to their cities, towns, and villages with Russian guarantees, such as al-Qaryatayn, Mahin, Palmyra and others, where the Syrian Observatory has documented since early September 2018 until the 13th of November 2018; that the regime’s security arresting at least 342 Syrian citizens from the above mentioned areas for various reasons and pretexts, such as communicating with relatives in the Syrian north, passed their conscription service in regime’s army, deserter of the reserve service in regime’s army, etc., where the Russians are unable to guarantee the lives of these civilians who refused to displace to the Syrian north and preferred the option of staying in their homes and their areas; but the intelligence of Bashar al-Assad’s regime came and stole their freedom and threw them into their security detention, amid fears for their lives.

We at the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights call on the international parities and regional and international organizations to work diligently and earnestly, so that the file of releasing tens of thousands of detainees and abductees gets the priority of any political meeting, conference or negotiation, and not to be just a talk, but there must be practical steps to begin releasing the detainees, also we in the Syrian Observatory strongly condemn turning the issue of tens of thousands of abductees and detainees to a paper manipulated by different parties, whether these parties were the regime and its allies, or the Syrian opposition parties, where out of responsibility the issue of detainees must be reactivated after being absent by parties who have made other files and interests as their priority, we also urge the international community particularly the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Security Council and the High Commissioner for Human Rights to act immediately by putting pressure on the Syrian regime, in order to release the remaining detainees, and to work on establishing a court to bring the criminals, killers and their masters to court, and to bring justice for those detainees as well.