Syrian authorities release dozens of employees of Rami Makhlouf companies

Syrian security services have commissioned dozens of employees of companies of prominent businessman Rami Makhlouf, against whom the authorities have taken a series of strict measures in recent months, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Syrian Observatory reported that the security services “released most of those arrested” who worked in the Makhlouf institutions, including 41 employees of “Syriatel” and another 57 who worked in the humanitarian “Al Bustan Association” that he directed. He also referred to the release of 58 “officers and members of the regime forces” who cooperated with his armed groups.

A former employee of the company “Syriatel”, who asked not to be identified, confirmed to AFP that “several employees and managers have been released”, indicating that he personally knows four of them.

Makhlouf (51 years old), cousin of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, is immersed in a conflict with the government, the characteristics of which began to appear on the horizon last summer. And he appealed to al-Assad to intervene to prevent what he describes as “injustice” from being exposed by the authorities, which he said seek to overthrow him, after they asked him to pay the sums owed to the Communications and Post Regulatory Authority of your company.

A few months ago, Makhlouf accused the security services of arresting his employees to pressure him to quit his companies, notably Syriatel, which owns about 70 percent of the telecommunications market in Syria.