More than 40 persons captured, by Syrian security services, from their houses in Homs northern countryside under merely individual allegations filed by regime loyalists with no issuance of formal arrest warrants.
Wael Joma'a, an activist,[1] told STJ on September 16, 2018 that after the pro-government forces retook northern Homs[2] under a reconciliation agreement brokered by Russia in which it promised to save people from harm or arrest. The regime, however, found a way for that by inciting its supporters to file personal lawsuits against those wanted by it.
The arrests usually conducted by military and political security agents who storm houses of the wanted and take them to security offices. The detainees’ families go to ask help from Russian forces, since they are the guarantors of the implementation of the reconciliation agreement already signed by the arrested, but they always disclaim responsibility citing the personal allegations, (which should be submitted legally to the court which in turn issues official arrest warrants), but these legal procedures weren’t followed by the claimants, and the security branches summerly arrested the accused, the activist added
Several civilians from Ar Rastan had filed complaints of abuse against former opposition employees within establishments like the Sharia Court and the Free Police.
In Aug. 2018 only, more than 30 were arrested in Ar Rastan under individual allegations, the activist quoted local sources:[3]
"Recently in August 2018 a security agent filed a complaint against those who had bombed his house in 2012, in retaliation to his assassinated to a dissident regime officer. Against this background, the political security arrested more than 30 men, some of whom are not involved and the whole are still unaccounted for.
A similar incident happened in Aug. 2018 as the political security captured 18 persons from pro-opposition al-Ghinto village under a complaint filed by a local of the pro-regime village of Jboreen, accusing them of killing his son in 2012, during the clashes and military confrontations the two villages witnessed, being at the frontlines between regime and rebel forces at the time, which resulted in the kill of scores of youths, according to local sources.
Once the person is arrested, his family retain a lawyer who has strong ties with the security officers to work for his release by bribery, which amount determined according to the kind of charge, as Juma’a reported.
"Ahmed, a local from Ar Rastan, was arrested by the military security under a lawsuit filed by someone from Tlass family, in which he alleged that he owed Ahmed an amount of SYP 50,000. However, Ahmed was freed after a short time, since his family retained a lawyer who used his connections to bribe a judge who released Ahmed in exchange for SYP 600,000.", according to a local of Ar Rastan quoted by Juma’a.
Violations by members of the government and allied forces of the terms provided by the settlement agreement have been documented in all the “reconciled areas”, where people are subjected to different abuses including arbitrary arrest and conscription.[4]
[1] A media activist from Homs’ northern countryside, displaced to the northern countryside of Aleppo following the Syrian regular forces’ control over the area. He obtained his information from local sources in Ar Rastan city.
[2] On May 16, 2018, the Syrian regular forces retook the northern countryside of Homs after they conducted an agreement with the armed opposition factions, provided for the evacuation of those who wanted to north Syria and signing 6-months settlement agreements with those who choose to stay.
[3] Identities concealed for security purposes.
[4] “Arrests and Forced Recruitments by the Syrian Regime, Southern Damascus”, STJ, September 13, 2018; https://www.stj-sy.org/en/view/742 , (Last edit: September 15, 2018).
“Arrests in Yarmouk Camp after Being Taken Over by Regime Forces”, STJ, June 9, 2018; https://www.stj-sy.org/en/view/566 ,(Last edit: September 11, 2018).