Two Syrian youths were killed under torture in Sednaya Prison, located near the capital, Damascus, after being detained for approximately two years.
Local sources confirmed the death of the two Syrian youths, who were from Daraa Governorate in southern Syria.
According to the source, the families of the two youths received their bodies on Saturday, September 21, 2024.
Sednaya Military Prison is considered one of the worst prisons in Syria, where human rights violations are carried out. Political prisoners opposing the state’s authority are detained there without specific charges.
Sednaya Prison, built in 1987, is located 30 kilometers north of Damascus and is divided into two sections. The first section, known as the “Red Building,” is designated for political and civilian prisoners, while the second section, known as the “White Building,” is for military prisoners.
The local opposition website “Ahrar Houran Gathering” reported that the young man “Habis Nihab al-Shaman,” from the village of Shaara in the al-Lajat region in the Daraa countryside, died under torture in Sednaya Prison after being detained for two years. He was a former member of one of the opposition factions, and after the reconciliation deal sponsored by Russia in 2018, the Syrian regime arrested him and took him to Sednaya Prison.
As for the young man “Sameeh Abu Khashrif,” from the town of al-Shabraq in western Daraa, he had been detained in Sednaya Prison for more than two years.
At the end of August 2024, Syrian regime Interior Minister Major General Mohammad al-Rahmoun claimed that no displaced Syrian who returned to Syria and settled their status had been arrested or detained.
On July 2, 2024, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Alice Jill Edwards, expressed concern over reports confirming that torture is still widely practiced in Syria, despite seven months passing since the International Court of Justice ordered the Syrian government to end torture.
The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria published on May 2, 2024, that arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, torture, and the absence of the rule of law continue in Syria. These acts amount to “war crimes,” and civilians are affected by the lack of rule of law and security.
On November 16, 2023, the International Court of Justice demanded that the Syrian regime take “urgent temporary measures” and ordered it to stop torture and cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment in its prisons, following a lawsuit filed by both the Netherlands and Canada against Damascus’ government for its violations.
Torture is a crime under international law and is absolutely prohibited under all relevant instruments. It cannot be justified under any circumstances. This rule is part of widely accepted international law, meaning that every state must adhere to it, even if they have not agreed to specific treaties prohibiting torture. The systematic and widespread practice of torture is considered a “crime against humanity,” according to the United Nations’ definition.
“Same Justice” organization condemns the killing of the youth under torture in the Syrian regime’s security branches and the continued grave violations by regime forces against civilians, in addition to the breach of international laws, especially UN Security Council Resolutions 2139 and 2254, which relate to the protection of civilians in Syria.
The organization calls for an end to all acts of torture and arbitrary detention in Syria and stresses the enforcement of human rights principles established by the United Nations, including that no one should be arrested except under judicial warrants and that the accused should have access to a fair defense and be protected from all forms of physical and psychological torture.
