On 27 September 2012, Al Zaidan was at the Masnaa border between Syria and Lebanon, about 40min drive from Damascus, when he was arrested by plain-clothes members of the Syrian Military Intelligence – the so-called "Military Security" – who did not provide any arrest warrant or justification for his arrest.

Following his arrest and disappearance, Al Zaidan's family was told by a former detainee that he had been detained with Ahmed in Branch 291 – the "throbbing heart of the intelligence body", also referred to as the Administrative Branch or the Headquarter Branch. Located on 6 May Street in Damascus, Branch 291 is known for being a place where torture is systematically practiced. The co-detainee also affirmed having seen Al Zaidan on the very day of his own release on 27 February 2013.

Alkarama has documented numerous cases of citizens disappeared in the neighbourhood of Al Lataminah, a village in the Hama governorate known for being a rebel stronghold, following their arrest by the Syrian army or security forces – see the following cases of enforced disappearance: two cases between April 2012-December 2014; three cases between August 2012-May 2013; and two cases between October 2011 and April 2012. Fearing to become the government's new victims if they were taking any action to find their Al Zaidan, his relatives did not take any legal actions.

Alkarama and Human Rights Guardians therefore asked the UN WGEID to call upon the Syrian authorities to release Ahmed Al-Zaidan immediately or at least to put him under the protection of the law by disclosing his whereabouts and authorising his family to visit him without restrictions. "The systematic use of enforced disappearance in Syria is a heinous crime, not least because of the terror and anguish it creates within the population, adding to the suffering caused by the armed conflict," recalls Inès Osman, Regional Legal Officer for the Mashreq at Alkarama. "The Syrian authorities have an absolute obligation to put an end to this systematic practice, and launch a thorough and impartial investigation into all cases reported."

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