Rochelle Junior

As-Sweida — Many children in the city of Sweida were arrested under conditions lacking legal legitimacy, as their detention was justified based on their geographic or sectarian affiliation. This raises serious questions about the motives behind these arrests, which contradict the most basic humanitarian principles.

Appeal to Reveal the Fate of Abducted Children

Mayada Yahya, the mother of 16-year-old Hamza Aql, says that Hamza was in the town of Al-Majimar when the area was shelled with mortar rounds, prompting him and several civilians to take shelter inside a warehouse. After spending a full night there, contact with him suddenly stopped, and the family received no information about him for two days.

Later, the mother received a phone call from a person who claimed to be affiliated with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, informing her that they had arrested Hamza. Since that call, all news about him has completely ceased, despite the family’s repeated attempts to inquire through intermediaries and acquaintances.

The mother confirms that she contacted several humanitarian and human rights organizations, requesting intervention and assistance, but has received no tangible results so far. She asks, “Is it reasonable that six months pass without any authority being able to determine the fate of a minor child? Where is the pressure on the responsible parties, especially in cases involving children?”

She clarified that her son was hiding and was not involved in any military activities, questioning the legal basis for his arrest and the denial of the family’s right to hear his voice or reassure themselves about his condition.

According to information gathered by the family from several sources, individuals reported that Hamza was first transferred to Daraa and later moved to Adra Prison. The mother says they confirmed his presence there through testimony from a young man who was released from the prison. However, Hamza Aql’s name is not officially registered in Adra Prison records, which has heightened the family’s fears regarding his safety and legal status.

Mayada Yahya appeals to human rights and humanitarian organizations to urgently intervene to reveal the fate of her son, ensure his rights as a minor, and allow the family to communicate with him and learn about his health and legal condition after long months of uncertainty and anguish.

A Case Involving Hundreds, Perhaps Thousands, of Children

This case concerns hundreds of children who have been forcibly disappeared since the attacks carried out by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham jihadists on the city of Sweida. In this context, human rights lawyer and specialist Maram Al-Qudmani called for the protection of children’s rights and an end to arbitrary detention.

She stated that in mid-July of last year, when Sweida witnessed a large-scale attack by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham jihadists, women were abducted and men were arrested. Amid the worsening humanitarian conditions, the most brutal aspect was the arrest of minors under the age of 18, describing this as “strange and deeply suspicious given the emergency circumstances.”

She explained that the arbitrary detention of underage children was not merely a violation of their freedom, but a “blatant breach of international conventions that protect children’s rights, such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which prohibits the detention of children except in exceptional cases based on clear legal grounds.”

Lawyer Maram Al-Qudmani added that the detained children were not given consideration regarding their health conditions and were held alongside older detainees, exposing them to inhumane treatment. She noted that “this type of treatment causes severe psychological and social harm to children, especially when they are deprived of basic rights such as adequate healthcare and treatment consistent with juvenile justice laws.”

Children’s Sacred Rights

She stressed the necessity of respecting children’s rights as red lines in any armed conflict or dispute, emphasizing that these rights must never be violated due to their sacred nature and protection under international and local laws. “Detained children must be given the opportunity to obtain legal representation,” she added.

Responsibility of the State and the International Community

Responsibility primarily lies with the international community, which must protect children’s rights and ensure accountability for parties that violate these rights. In Sweida, the state carried out the arrests, making it the responsibility of civil society and international organizations to pressure the authorities to comply with international laws and to release detained children.