Torture victims | Nine civilians from various provinces die under torture in regime prisons in 50 days

Since early November, SOHR activists have documented the death of nine civilians under torture in regime notorious prisons, after varying durations of detention, some of which reached ten years. The fatalities were from Daraa, Al-Hasakah, Idlib, Al-Suwaidaa, Rif Dimashq and Homs. Further details of these cases are summarised as follows:

• November 1: A civilian from Jisr al-Shughur city in the western countryside of Idlib died under torture in a regime prison, as he had been arrested ten years earlier.

• November 5: A young man from Salkhad in the southern countryside of al-Suwaidaa was tortured to death by guards in the regime’s military prison of Sydanya (known as the Slaughterhouse), after being arrested over a year and a half earlier.

• November 5: SOHR activists documented the death of a young man from Daraa province because of torture and poor health conditions in a regime prison. According to SOHR sources, the young man was an ex-fighter in opposition factions in Daraa, and was arrested on September 5, after his house in Da’el city was stormed by the Air-Force Intelligence service which took him to its branch in Daraa city where he died.

• November 9: A civilian from HassoRatla village in Tel Abyad district in al-Raqqah countryside died under torture in the notorious prison of Saydnaya, where he was arrested over two years earlier. The victim was arrested in September 2019 with his niece who had with special needs, while both were heading from the Syrian capital, Damascus, towards north-eastern Syria. The two persons were arrested because the “victim’s niece didn’t have an ID and for sneaking to regime-held areas”.

• November 19: A young man From Msifra town in the eastern countryside of Daraa was tortured to death in the regime prison of Saydnaya. The young man had served in the ranks of opposition factions during their control of Daraa. After regime forces regained control of the entire province, the man preferred to stay in Daraa. However, he was arrested by the security services and taken to Saydnaya prison a year before his death.

• November 25: Syrian Observatory sources documented the death of an old man from Hazza town in eastern Ghouta in a regime prison. The victim was arrested by regime forces nearly three years earlier, after capturing eastern Ghouta on March 2018. The man’s family was later informed of his death because of torture in Saydnaya prison.

• December 3: An old man from KafrBatna town in eastern Ghouta died under torture in Saydnaya notorious prison. It is worth noting that the man was arrested after regime forces had captured eastern Ghouta in March 2018 and was imprisoned for over three years. The man’s family was informed of his death a few days earlier.

• December 3: A man from Al-Qusayr city in Homs countryside was tortured to death in a regime prison, after nearly nine years of detention.

• December 14: A man from Daraa province was tortured to death in the regime prison of Saydnaya, after nearly three years of detention. It is worth noting that the man was arrested in 2018 by regime forces and was sentenced to death. The man’s family was informed of his death a few days later.

We, at the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights appeal to all international actors to exert pressure on the Syrian regime and all conflicting powers in Syria to disclose the fate of thousands of detainees in their prisons and release the innocent Syrian civilians immediately.

SOHR has documented the death of 47,513 civilians under torture in regime’s prisons since the beginning of the Syrian revolution, all documented by names: 47,110 men and young men, 339 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.

 

The Syrian Observatory would like to point out that all information and figures mentioned in this report have been documented and updated until the date of publication.