At least 161 cases of arbitrary arrests, including 109 cases of enforced disappearance were documented in Syria in January 2020, the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) reported.
In a report published on Sunday, SNHR said most of the arrests are carried out without any judicial warrant while individuals are passing through checkpoints or during raids, with the security forces of the regime’s four main intelligence services often responsible for extra-judicial detentions.
According to the monitor, the detainees are tortured from the very first moment of arrest and are denied any contact with their relatives or lawyers.
Syrian authorities deny carrying out arbitrary arrests and most of the detainees are subsequently categorized as forcibly disappeared.
The report documented at least 161 cases of arbitrary arrests in January, including two children and one woman, with 69 of these operations carried out by the Syrian Regime. Meanwhile, three cases of arbitrary arrests were recorded at the hands of Hayaat Tahrir al-Sham.
The report also highlighted 37 cases of arbitrary arrests by armed opposition factions, as well as 52 cases, including two children, by Syrian Democratic Forces.
According to SNHR, the distribution of cases of arbitrary arrests in January differs between governorates, with Aleppo seeing the largest number of arrests documented during this period, followed by the governorates of Deir Ez-Zour, Damascus Suburbs, then Hasaka.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
