Image source: Andreas photography
An investigation has uncovered a disturbing punitive method reportedly used by the Syrian regime’s security services against detained children. Since 2011, children arrested by these authorities have allegedly been detained without trial until reaching adulthood, when they are transferred to military courts and sentenced to death.
Published on October 28, 2024, by the Syrian Investigative Journalism Unit (SIRAJ), the report, titled “Deferred Execution: The Syrian Regime is Holding Minors in Prisons for Execution When They Reach the Age of 18,” claims that security services systematically target young detainees, holding them in detention until they turn 18. Once of legal age, these individuals are reportedly brought before military field courts, where death sentences are issued without standard judicial process.
The investigation relied on interviews with victims’ families and the sole surviving witness on their list, who described the brutal treatment endured in detention. This survivor detailed how the security services transported child detainees to field courts under harsh conditions, with no regard for due process.
Grim Findings
The investigative team, comprising journalists and researchers, verified the deaths of 24 out of 25 minors listed, reportedly sentenced by the Military Field Court. The list, encompassing children from various Syrian regions—including Hama, Homs, Idlib, Aleppo, and Daraa—contained personal details such as full names, birth dates, and the dates of death sentences. However, it remains unclear if all sentences were carried out.
Same Justice Human Rights organization highly condemns death sentences issued against children including those arrested before the age of 18. It calls for the immediate release of all children detained in Syrian prisons and detention centers and demands accountability for all officials responsible for these executions.
Punitive Practices and Legal Breaches
The investigation reveals a “punitive” approach in which detained minors are held until they reach 18, then transferred to military courts and condemned under Syria’s Anti-Terrorism Law No. 19 of 2012. The investigation suggests these procedures violate national and international standards, with the military courts granted broad powers that circumvent standard legal appeals, due in part to the repeal of Decree 109 of 1968.
Investigative Methods
SIRAJ’s team gathered evidence through social media posts, records of the forcibly disappeared, and exclusive interviews with families. Death records obtained from the Syrian Ministry of Interior’s civil registry revealed that 24 of the children on their list had died while in detention.
Additionally, the investigation corroborated that these individuals were minors at the time of their arrest, falling under protections outlined in Syria’s Juvenile Delinquents Law No. 18 of 1974, which defines minors as individuals under 18.
International conventions on child rights, including Article 24 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, prohibit executing individuals for crimes committed before adulthood. The investigation has drawn attention to calls for the immediate release of all child detainees and accountability for those involved in issuing death sentences against minors.
This report casts a harsh light on alleged violations within Syria’s detention system, calling into question the treatment of child detainees and pressing for global accountability.
