16 Young Men Denied Regularization of Status by Syrian Government in Jbab Village, Others Arrested  

The Syrian government refuses to regularize the legal status, conducting a reconciliation/settlement deal, of 16 young men from the town of Jbab, Daraa, and blocked them from the town for unknown reasons. In addition to this, the security services arrested 12 other young men from the same town, after it granted them a regularization of status and the permission to return to the town in the company of 200 persons, according to testimonies obtained by Syrians for Truth and Justice/STJ.

The Jbab Town Municipality Council, under the Syrian government, issued a list of 16 names, about the young men mention it said: “They were eliminated from the national reconciliation list,” without clarifying the reasons. The document, dateless,  carried the council’s signature, and the names listed here: Mohammad Jawdat al-Awad, Ismail Abu Hauwa, Adham Yousef Aloush, Rabie Sami al-Qasem, Ibrahim Mohammad Khatab, Ibrahim Abdulmuhsain al-Braidi, Yousef Abdulrahman Abu Hauwa, Abdulsatar Yousef Abdulrazaq, Ahmad Mohammad al-Aashour, Sami Ibrahim al-Qasem, Ahmad Ismail Abu Hauwa, Ammer Mohammad Eid al-Khatib, Ahmad Nidal al-Khatib, Yaqoup Ahmad Abu Hauwa, Ayoup Ahmad Abu Hauwa and Kels Ahmad Abu Hauwa.

A photo circulated by activists in Daraa province, showing a list issued by the Jbab Town Council, under the Syrian government, of the names of the persons eliminated from the national reconciliation.

Covering this, on November 5, 2018, STJ interviewed one of the people, whose names were listed.[1] He said:

 “The people whose names are mentioned in the list, eliminated from the national reconciliation, are civilians, of whom two work in the field of media. One of these persons lives in Jordan, two in Turkey and three others in Syria’s north. The rest are based in different regions within Daraa province. They were denied a regularization of status due to a dispute between their families and the Qanat family- the majority of its members are high ranked military officers. This family is ruling the Jbab town.”

As for the return of 200 of the town’s people to Jbab, the witness said that the people who returned to the town of Jbab were based in different areas within Daraa province; their return was approved after the Municipality Council, the mayor and the Secretary of the Party Division filed a written request to Daraa’s governor. The latter’s answer came as an approval. This took place in the last five days of October 2018.  

A photo circulated by activists in Daraa, showing a request filed by local entities to the Daraa’s governor as to allow the return of Jbab’s people to their town.

The witness added:

“The security services arrested 12 of the people who have lately returned to the town of Jbab, while the reasons for the arrest remain unknown, knowing that they have all underwent a regularization of status. Upon their arrest, town heads interfered and asked the Military Security and the National Security to release them. They have also addressed the Russian deputy in the area and explained that the young men’s arrest is a violation of the basic reconciliation deal. A few days later, the 12 young men were released, some of whom left the town of Jbab. In addition to this, a state of fear seized the rest of the returnees, the majority of whom has also left the town to other regions within Daraa province, 30 returnees only are left in the town.”

After controlling Daraa province in July 2018, the security services arrested and detained dozens of young men. In addition to this, the Syrian government issued a cautionary seizure order of movable and immovable properties, the ownership of which belongs to the province’s people. Covering this, STJ published detailed reports on several incidents. [2]