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18 August 2016

Syria: Still No News of Hussein Jabara Who Disappeared after His Shop Was Raided by State Security

A 39-year-old shop owner, Hussein Jabara, was abducted on 11 March 2014 in Qamshili by the State Security forces. He has not been seen since July 2015 and his family remains without confirmation of his fate and whereabouts, despite several inquiries. On 10 August 2016, Alkarama along with Human Rights Guardians, sent his case to the UN Working Group on Enforced Disappearances (WGEID) to help shed light on his current whereabouts.

Hussein Jabara was at work when the State Security forces – i.e. the General Intelligence, the most important civil intelligence service falling under the authority of the Ministry of Interior – raided his computer shop in March of 2014, in Qamishli. They arrested him and seized his laptop which allegedly "contained video clips and pictures of the Syrian Free Army and of demonstrations". He was subsequently disappeared for more than a year, until a former detainee informed his relatives that he had seen him in Sednaya prison near Damascus on 2 July 2015.

When his father later tried to inquire about him in several security branches, he was eventually told that his son had died. However, when he went to the Teshrin Military Hospital for further information, nobody was able to confirm his son's death. His father then received contradictory information when, on 2 January 2016, he met with the General of Coordinator of the Syrian National Coordination Body who assured him that his son "will be released soon".

Today, Hussein Jabara's fate and whereabouts have yet to be confirmed. On that account, Alkarama and Human Rights Guardians called upon WGEID in order to request from the Syrian authorities to disclose his current location and place him under the protection of the law.

For more information, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Dir: +41 22 734 1008).

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