Stifling farmers and traders | Security checkpoints impose levies on only entrance to Deir Ezzor
Deir Ezzor province: SOHR activists have reported that regime forces impose levies on civilians in al-Tala’ae several checkpoints in the regime-held areas on the Euphrates bank that is under control of the SDF in western Deir Ezzor countryside.
Regime forces are stationed in four checkpoints, each one is 20 meters away from the other. They are deployed as follows:
– Military Security checkpoint
– Two checkpoints for 4th Division
– Air Force Intelligence checkpoint
These checkpoints are the only connection between western Deir Ezzor countryside and the city, and the only entrance for residents from the western countryside including university students, farmers and workers towards Deir Ezzor city.
Civilians are subject to daily violations in addition to being stifled in these four checkpoints, where each of them collects personal “IDs”, searches and blackmails civilians to collect financial levies despite the harsh conditions which the civilians live in.
A man “40 years old” known as “K.A.” works as a butcher in al-Wadi Street in Deir Ezzor has told SOHR that he goes to al-Shamiteya public auction in the western countryside every day to buy sheep. The man confirms that the checkpoints hold his personal identity to guarantee his return to the checkpoint and collect levies from him on his way back.
Meanwhile, a farmer known initially by letters “M.N.”, has told SOHR that he cannot go to al-Hal market to sell his agricultural products likewise other farmers over fears of being arrested and taken to the reserve military service.
Workers in car maintenance and water pumping motors pay large amounts of money for buying unused or new spare parts. One of the workers told SOHR: “we are paying tax as if we are buying our equipment from abroad.”
It is worth noting that the Panorama checkpoint in the southern entrance of Deir Ezzor investigates tightly and delays travelers in purpose, and prevents the entry of any person from outside of Deir Ezzor province without a guarantor from residents of Deir Ezzor, to guarantee no one escapes towards SDF-held areas which became the only pathway to get outside Syria.