The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Clamping down on civilians | 4th Division places prefabricated checkpoints in markets in Homs countryside

Homs province: 4th Division security forces have set up prefabricated and modular checkpoints and placed them in Homs countryside to impose levies on civilians.

According to SOHR sources, the 4th Division security forces placed a prefabricated checkpoint at the entrance to the cattle market in Al-Sa’an city, and placed another checkpoint in Al-Mallah area in Al-Furqalas.

According to Syrian Observatory activists, the aim of the construction of these prefabricated checkpoints is to impose levies on every car carrying cattle or fodder that enters the two aforementioned markets. There are two armed men at each checkpoint.

In this context, a 4th division first assistant of security forces, which is a subsidiary of the regime forces, اhas forced a merchant to pay 50,000 SYP as a tax in return for allowing him to let him entre the cattle market in Al-Sa’an area.

Moreover, a regime officer informed the traders that they had to pay market entry tax in regime-held areas

In this context, the regime forces issued a decision of establishing prefabricated checkpoints and imposing levies on merchants and circulated this decision in Homs countryside, which is under regime control.

It is worth noting that civilians in areas controlled by the regime suffer from dire living conditions in light of the ongoing imposition of levies and clamping down on civilians.