September 5, 2024

The President of the Syrian Negotiation Commission, Dr. Badr Jamous, has called on the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Mr. Geir Pedersen, to urgently intervene and address the relevant international bodies to ascertain the fate of around two hundred Syrian civilians, most of whom are women, children, and elderly, who were detained by the Syrian regime authorities while returning from visiting their relatives and children in northern Syria.

In a letter addressed to Mr. Pedersen, the President of the Commission urged immediate action and pressure on the Syrian regime to release them and all arbitrarily detained individuals in all Syrian regime prisons and detention centers. He expressed deep concern for their lives and fate in the regime’s detention centers and security apparatus.

The letter from the President of the Negotiation Commission emphasized that this incident, along with other repeated and systematic incidents, is solid evidence that Syria is not safe for its citizens under the current regime. It highlighted that the regime’s systematic practices confirm its rejection of the return of Syrians and that its security and military apparatuses punish Syrians for communicating with each other. Moreover, the regime’s actions encourage the division of Syria and aim to scatter and displace its people.

This message comes hours after Assad’s authorities detained four buses and arrested more than 200 civilians, most of whom are women, elderly, and children, who were returning from visiting their relatives in northwest Syria. The arrest took place at the Baghdad Bridge checkpoint near the Al-Qutayfah area in rural Damascus. The detainees were transferred to the Al-Sumaria area before being moved to “Branch 251” (Al-Khatib Branch) of the General Intelligence Directorate. The detained individuals are civilians, and their visit was solely to meet their relatives in northern Syria.