Kidnapping for ransom … a nightmare for Syrians



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The phenomenon of kidnappings and forced disappearances of Syrians has increased in the last period, especially after the increase in accidents whose perpetrators seek to obtain a ransom in exchange for the release of the hostages.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the cases increased significantly last February, as 8 citizens of As-Suwayda were abducted, including a child and a woman, and three brothers of Deir Ezzor were abducted by ISIS-affiliated factions.

Despite the announcement of ISIS’s defeat in Syria, the organization is still able to finance itself through criminal activities such as the imposition of royalties, kidnapping for ransom, theft and smuggling, to secure the necessary income, according to a previous report. issued by RAND. Research Center.

Since the beginning of the conflict in 2011, international human rights organizations and Syrian civil society have documented serious violations against people, including abductions and enforced disappearances.

Murders and videos

ISIS cells are practicing terror for Syrian citizens in some Syrian areas, as ISIS members not only kidnap citizens and demand ransom, but also kill kidnappers and send video clips of the bodies to their families. .

The Syrian Observatory indicated that, last February, ISIS kidnapped a Hasaka car dealer after killing his partner, after which the organization sent his wife a video clip of a horrific execution of her husband.

Three brothers who worked in the freight transport sector were abducted in areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces, where messages were sent to their families telling them that if a $ 5,000 ransom was not sent, their children would be “beheaded.”

In fact, the families of the abducted people sent the required amount and the youths were released to meet in Idlib governorate.

Unknown groups

In As-Suwayda governorate, kidnappings have been repeated over the last month, some of which have been linked to unknown groups, who may have been kidnapped to obtain money.

A woman was kidnapped in early February in the As-Suwayda countryside, under mysterious circumstances, and her fate is still unknown, as local factions managed to free a man who had been kidnapped in front of her home and asked her family to pay to. a rescue.

During the same period, several young men were abducted, most of whom were returning home after finishing their work, some of them were released, while others remain missing.

A gruesome crime
During last February, the city of Raqqa witnessed a horrible crime, as the body of a 5-year-old girl was found in a bag, she had been kidnapped and her family was asked to pay about $ 15,000 for your release.

After the family was unable to provide the amount, the girl’s body was found near her family’s home.

The Observatory indicated that it documented the killing of 246 civilians, including children, by armed cells in the eastern Deir Ezzor camp, the Hasaka camp, the city of Raqqa and its countryside, and the Manbij region.

2020

During 2020, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented more than 510 cases of kidnapping, including women and children, of which about 200 occurred in areas controlled by the Syrian regime.

53 women were abducted, while 61 children were abducted, and their families were asked to pay a ransom for their release.

Furthermore, a report issued by the United Nations in early March, covering a decade of conflict in Syria, accused the regime and warring factions of making efforts to cover up “unimaginable suffering.”

Disappearance and torture

A report by the International Independent Commission of Inquiry in Syria stated that “after 10 years of war, tens of thousands of arbitrarily detained civilians have disappeared in Syria, and thousands more have been subjected to torture and sexual violence or have died in custody. “.

The report is based on 2,500 interviews conducted over a 10-year period and investigations conducted in nearly 100 detention centers, involving “all parties that have controlled the territories in Syria since 2011.”

The commission of inquiry notes in particular to what extent “arbitrary arrests and imprisonment have simultaneously been a cause, an incentive and a permanent practice in the Syrian conflict.”

The report concludes that all these human rights violations were “carried out with the knowledge and consent of the governments that support the different parties to the conflict,” and asks them to stop doing so.



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