The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Growing popular anger | Iraqi forces arrest over 30 civilians from Al-Raqqah claiming they are “terrorists”, and SOHR appeals to release them immediately

Popular resentment and anger is growing in Al-Raqqah city in the wake of arresting over 30 civilians from the city by the Iraqi forces, while they were attempting to cross into Iraq illegally, searching for work there. The civilians were arrested and appeared in video footages receiving inhumane and brutal treatment for “being armed groups affiliated to jihadi organizations” as security forces claimed.

 

SOHR sources have confirm that the people who appeared in the video footages are civilians from Al-Raqqah city, who fed up with the poverty and unemployment in their city and chose to be smuggled into Iraq to search for work there. However, the civilians were arrested by the Iraqi forces after the smuggler give them up.

 

We, at the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, appeal to all international actor to exert pressure on the Iraqi forces to release the civilians immediately and not to turn them in to the Syrian regime.