Available In
The Hague – Syrian Network for Human Rights:
On March 28, 2025, the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) documented the arbitrary detention of siblings Hussein and Suleiman Yasser Ramadan, along with Basel Osama Al-Thaher, all of whom are residents of Koya village in the Yarmouk Basin area of western rural Daraa. The detentions occurred during a ground incursion carried out by Israeli occupation forces, supported by military vehicles, into the village.
According to information obtained by SNHR from its teams on the ground, Israeli occupation forces detained the three men while they were working on their agricultural land in Koya village and forcibly transferred them to the al-Jazira military outpost. This facility, located near the Ma’riya village in western rural Daraa, was occupied and used as a military base by Israeli occupation forces following the fall of the Assad regime on December 8, 2024. As SNHR recorded, the three were released after approximately five hours, but without any clear legal procedures, rendering their detention as arbitrary and thus prohibited under international human rights law.
SNHR strongly condemns the Israeli ground incursion, as well as the raids and arbitrary detentions of civilians. These actions constitute a blatant violation of international humanitarian law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), particularly Article 9 which prohibits arbitrary arrest or detention. This act also constitutes a breach of the sovergnity of the Syrian Arab Republic and a violation of Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter, which prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity of any member state.
The ongoing Israeli incursions into border areas pose a direct threat to civilian security and heighten the risk of forced displacement or the imposition of occupation-driven territorial changes. SNHR calls on the United Nations and the international community to take urgent action to halt these repeated violations, ensure respect for Syria’s sovereignty, and protect civilians from any measures that could lead to forced demographic change or the establishment of an unlawful military reality.
