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Adham Hussein Jadid, from Madaya town in northwestern Rural Damascus ‘Rif Dimshaq’ governorate, was arrested on August 15, 2022, by Syrian regime forces at a checkpoint near the Kasab Border Crossing in northern rural Latakia governorate. At the time of his arrest, Adham was on his way back from his place of asylum in Türkiye to settle his security situation and return to his original place of residence.
Adham fled his hometown of Madaya in 2015, when he was wounded amid bombardment and clashes taking place there at the time between regime forces and armed opposition.
Adham’s arrest was carried out without any legal warrant issued by a court or legal authority being presented. Furthermore, no members of Adham’s family were informed of his arrest, and he was denied any opportunity to call his family or a lawyer. He was taken to a detention center in Aleppo city, and has been classified as forcibly disappeared ever since his arrest. His family was last able to visit him in September 2023 in Sednaya Military Prison in Rural Damascus governorate, only after paying large sums of money through regime-affiliated intermediary meditators. At the time of the visit, Adham was in poor health as a result of the brutal torture, starvation, and medical negligence inflicted on him in regime custody, with signs of torture apparent on his body.
On November 14, 2023, Adham’s family learned that he had died in Sednaya Prison on October 26, 2023. The family learned of Adham’s death through informal means, while they were trying to obtain a date for a second visit also through regime-affiliated meditators. Adham’s body has not been returned to his family who have also not been able to file a complaint or launch any investigation into his death, out of a well-justified fear of being persecuted by regime security forces for doing so.
International law strictly prohibits torture and other forms of cruel, degrading, or inhumane torture. The prohibition of torture is a customary rule that cannot be disputed or balanced against other rights or values, even in times of emergency. Violating this rule is a crime according to international criminal law. Those who issued the orders for or assisted in carrying out torture are criminally liable for their actions.
SNHR condemns all arrest and torture practices by Syrian regime forces and all other parties, more especially those inflicted on returning IDPs and refugees. We call for launching an immediate independent investigation into all incidents of arrest and torture that have taken place, particularly this barbaric incident. We also call for all of those involved in such crimes to be held accountable, from the officials issuing the orders to the individuals who carried them out. The findings of these investigations and accountability processes must be made public to the Syrian people. All of those involved in arrest and torture practices over the years must be exposed, while the survivors and victims’ families must be compensated for the grave physical, psychological and emotional trauma inflicted on them.