SOHR renews appeals to international community to exert pressure on all sides in Syria to release tens of thousands of detainees

In the light of the recent developments and repercussions of the U.S. sanction law, dubbed “Caesar”, which has come into effect since June 17, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights renews its appeals to international community to exert pressure on all powers in Syria to release more than 80,000 prisoners detained in the regime’s prisons, as well as thousands others held in the prisons of Turkish-backed rebel factions, jihadi groups, and Syria Democratic Forces. Fears escalate for the safety and lives of the detainees in the wake of the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

 

According to Syrian Observatory statistics, over 96 prisoners have died under torture in regime security and intelligence service’s prisons since “Caesar Act” was passed in mid-December 2019. SOHR is not disclosing the names of 35 other victims on request of their families.

 

Over the past nine years, since the beginning of the Syrian Revolution, SOHR has documented by names the death of 16,208 civilians who have died under torture in regime’s prisons: 16,019 men and young men, 125 children under the age of eighteen, and 64 women over the age of eighteen.

 

Reliable sources have informed the Syrian Observatory that the number of people killed, executed and/or died in regime prisons exceeded 104,000 people. Over 83% of the total death toll were killed and/or died in these prisons between May 2013 and October 2015. SOHR sources have also confirmed that more than 30,000 detainees were killed in the notorious prison of Sednaya alone, while the second largest percentage of killing occurred in the Air Force Intelligence detention facilities or prisons.