Report: 157 arbitrary arrests in Syria during May 2025, including children and women.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights revealed in its report issued today, June 4th, the registration of 157 cases of arbitrary detention during the month of May 2025, including 4 children and 3 women.
The report indicated that the Transitional Syrian Government was responsible for 93 of these cases, while the Syrian Democratic Forces carried out 64 cases of detention.
Homs province recorded the highest percentage of arbitrary detentions, followed by Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa. The report confirmed that the arrests by the Syrian Democratic Forces exceeded the number of releases, targeting civilians for criticizing their policies in the areas under their control.
In rural Homs, the Internal Security Forces affiliated with the Transitional Government conducted a security campaign involving raids on homes and accusations of smuggling across the Syrian-Lebanese border, with violations against civilians' properties recorded.
The report also documented arrests in Latakia without clear legal evidence, as well as cases in Hama and Damascus carried out without disclosing charges or detention locations, violating local and international legal guarantees.
The Syrian Democratic Forces continued to carry out mass raids under the pretext of pursuing ISIS elements, resulting in the arrest of civilians in Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa, including political activists and relatives of defectors.
Forced recruitment of children was documented by transporting them to training camps without informing their families, alongside confiscation of detainees' properties and physical violence against women during raids.
The Transitional Government released 83 detainees, mostly from Homs, after detentions ranging from hours to a month. Meanwhile, the Syrian Democratic Forces released 6 detainees from Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa.
On the other hand, other security campaigns targeted 97 individuals accused of human rights violations during the Assad regime, including former military personnel and government employees in Latakia, Homs, Hama, and Damascus, with weapons seized and detainees transferred to central prisons. The Transitional Government also arrested suspects in connection with the March 2025 attacks carried out by armed groups linked to the previous regime.
The report confirmed that many arrests were made without judicial warrants, calling for disclosure of detention locations and ensuring detainees' rights. It also mentioned the release of 123 individuals from Damascus countryside and Suwayda after investigations into previous security incidents.
The report stated that the Syrian Network for Human Rights has become a reference for United Nations bodies, with international decisions based on it, including resolution A/C.3/78/L.43 condemning Assad's violations and confirming the existence of over 135,000 arbitrary detainees, with enforced disappearance classified as a crime against humanity.
