Accused of “involving in money laundry and damaging national economy” | Regime checkpoint and secret bureau in Aleppo arrest civilian and lawyer from Afrin
Aleppo province: SOHR activists have reported that members of the regime secret bureau arrested a civilian from Basofan village in Afrin countryside near the directorate of agriculture in Aleppo, as the civilian had came to regime-controlled areas to buy some things. A sum of money estimated to be 1,500,000 SYP was found with the civilian, and he was taken to the capital, Damascus for investigation. According to Syria’s law, possessing such large sums of money is stated as a criminal offence.
On the other hand, members of the 4th Division and State Security branch stationed at the joint checkpoint in Al-Ashrafiyah neighbourhood arrested a lawyer from Afrin, on December 10, after having found 200 USD in his possession. The lawyer was taken to the economical court for “dealing in a foreign currency.” This act is also considered a criminal offence according to Syria’s law, under the pretext of “money laundry and damaging national economy.” People who are proved involved in this act are sentenced to three to five years imprisonment.
Yesterday, SOHR sources reported that the residents of Aleppo province, under the control of the regime forces, suffer from a lack of the most basic essentials, diesel, gas, and petrol. Most factories and small private companies have closed due to the electricity shortage. Most generators have ceased to work, as a barrel of diesel recorded 2500,000 SYP.
The streets of Aleppo are also empty of cars, both private and public, which have adversely affected workers and employees who are forced to walk long distances to go to their workplaces.
Most ambulances stopped working, except for transporting emergency cases only. While taxi fares have doubled due to the lack of petrol.
The price of petrol on the black market ranges from 18,000 to 20,000 SYP per litre, while the lowest price for taxi fare ranges from 8,000 to 10,000 SYP for short distances and 25,000 to 50,000 SYP for long distances in Aleppo city.
Most regime supply patrols have also ceased because of reducing the allocation of supplies to one quarter, which has adversely impacted civilians as the traders manipulate prices without concern and fear of accountability.
Speaking to SOHR, a member of the Supply Committee in Aleppo has said that the allocations had been reduced to a quarter during the current month by the regime due to fuel scarcity.
The man noted that since early December no patrol has been carried out in the suburbs of Aleppo and even monitoring the bread bakeries, who in turn took advantage of this situation and most of the bread bakeries’ owners began to manipulate weights and sell flour on the black market instead of meeting the needs of civilians.
Some bread bakeries’ owners sell their allocation of subsidised diesel to the black market to reap huge money.
Due to the dire living conditions and poop security situation in Aleppo province and fearing a popular uprising against the high cost of living and the lack of most basic essentials, the regime sent the so-called “secret office” members from the Syrian capital Damascus to Aleppo province and upon their arrival in Aleppo province, they launched a campaign of indiscriminate arrests on flimsy charges and pretexts.
In his statement to SOHR, a civilian said that the so-called secret office monitors civilians on foot so that once a civilian talks about the dire living condition, the secret office immediately arrests him on charges of “undermining the prestige of the “State” and spreading rumours to destabilise the security.”
The civilian explained that during the past week, the secret office arrested two of his relatives on their way to Al-Mukambo neighbourhood on charges of “carrying an estimated sum of 2 million Syrian pounds.” The carrying of this amount in regime-held areas is prohibited and the owner of the money is held accountable on the pretext of “money laundering and damage to the Syrian economy.”
The two men were immediately transferred to the Syrian capital, Damascus, while their fate remains unknown so far.
There has also been an intensive deployment of Airforce Intelligence, State Security and Political Security members among civilians disguised in civilian clothes for fear of a popular uprising against the regime and high prices.
The regime forces talk to civilians about the dire living conditions and as soon as the civilians condemns the living and security situation in Aleppo province, they immediately arrest him.