Available in:
From mid-May 2025 until May 25, the Syrian Network for Human Rights documented the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) carrying out separate detentions of at least 47 individuals, including a woman and a humanitarian worker, Ahmed Al-Hamza Al-Satem, who works for “Oxygen Youth” organization. The detentions targeted a number of villages and towns under their control in the Deir Ez-Zour and Raqqa governorates. As of the time of writing, the location of the detainees remains unknown.
According to what the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) documented based on reliable local sources, these raids were carried out with the aim of restricting the local population, and they affected dozens of northern and eastern villages in the countryside of Deir Ez-Zour and Raqqa governorates, most notably: the towns of Al-Shaheil, Theyban, Al-Hawayej, Abu Al-Nitel and Hajin in Deir Ez-Zour, and the towns of Al-Sabkha, Shanan, Ratla and Al-Karamah in Raqqa countryside and a number of neighborhoods in Raqqa City.
These arrests targeted a number of civilians, some of whom were critical of the Syrian Democratic Forces’ policies in areas under its control. Others included relatives of defected members, who were taken hostage in exchange for surrendering. The arrests also included individuals wounded by forces’ fire during attempts to arrest them, and who were arrested/detained from the hospitals where they were receiving treatment.
SNHR also observed that members of the group involved in the raids and arrests, which are still ongoing at the time of publication of this statement, physically assaulted women while carrying out some of these operations. This has led to tension between the local population and these members, and has also seen the seizure of money, gold jewelry, and mobile phones belonging to the families of the detainees.
SNHR condemns all forms of arbitrary arrest and detention carried out by armed groups affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which have witnessed a significant escalation recently. Furthermore, the arrests were not carried out pursuant to a judicial warrant, a general rule in the vast majority of arrests carried out by the SDF. They were carried out in a humiliating manner, with those arrested unaware of the charges against them and prevented from communicating with their families.
They have become hostages to the SDF, a tool used to exact revenge and pressure those wanted to surrender. SNHR fears that the detainees will be subjected to torture and may become forcibly disappeared.
Given the continued control of the Syrian Democratic Forces over areas outside the transitional government control, and their de facto self-administration, the violations committed against civilians in these areas fall within the framework of legal accountability in accordance with international law. Therefore, in the context of the ongoing negotiations between the transitional government and the Syrian Democratic Forces regarding the future of these areas, SNHR emphasizes the need to take clear measures to ensure that perpetrators of these violations are held accountable and prevent their recurrence, as part of efforts to reunify the country, consolidate the rule of law, and uncover the fate of thousands of forcibly disappeared persons.
Demands and Recommendations
- Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the International Commission of Inquiry
- Exerting increased pressure on the Syrian Democratic Forces to immediately release all arbitrarily detained individuals and reveal the fate of those forcibly disappeared.
- Include violations committed in the reports of the Human Rights Council and relevant international mechanisms, including the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria.
- Transitional Government of Syria
- Include the issue of detainees and forcibly disappeared persons among the priorities of negotiations with the Syrian Democratic Forces.
- Provide legal and psychological support to the families of detainees and forcibly disappeared persons, and work to document cases in cooperation with human rights organizations.
- Civil Society and Human Rights Organizations
- Documenting and collecting evidence of violations by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and submitting it to relevant international bodies.
- Providing legal support to victims and their families and contributing to efforts to hold perpetrators accountable.
- Raising awareness about the seriousness of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance and advocating for respect for human rights throughout Syria.
- Syrian Democratic Forces
- Immediately release all detainees held by the Syrian Democratic Forces and reveal the fate of those forcibly disappeared.
- End all forms of arbitrary detention related to freedom of expression and ensure respect for the fundamental rights of civilians.
- Conduct independent investigations and hold accountable those responsible for arrests and the accompanying violations.
- Ensure victims are compensated for the material and moral damages they have suffered.
