Working with the local media to document human rights violations committed by the Syrian regime in his hometown of Ar Raqqa, 29-year old Syrian Kurdish activist Abdo was also providing relief to Syrians internally displaced by the ongoing conflict, when he was abducted in front of his home by ISIS fighters, masked and heavily armed. Beaten up on the streets, Abdo was then dragged into a car and taken to an undisclosed location.

Searching for him, Abdo's family was told by eyewitnesses that he was held in Mabna al Mohafaz, Raqqa's Governorate Building, which serves both as ISIS headquarters and detention centre. ISIS, however, did not give any reason as to why Abdo was being held, and none of his relatives has been allowed to see him since his abduction. "My family is being subjected to continuous harassment from ISIS: they threaten to arrest us too if we ask too many questions," said Wassim, Abdo's brother.

Raqqa, which witnessed violent battles between insurgents and the Syrian army since the spring of 2013, has become the stronghold of ISIS, whose fighters have committed serious human rights abuses, including abductions, torture, unlawful detentions and summary executions throughout the country. Opposition supporters, who took up arms to end Bachar Al Assad's rule, quickly became divided between, among others, the Free Syrian Army, the Islamic Front, and jihadist groups such as the Al Nusra Front or ISIS.

"Non state actors, such as armed groups including ISIS are not exempt from abiding by international human rights and humanitarian law," explains Inès Osman, Alkarama's Legal Coordinator on the Mashreq. "All parties to the conflict are to be held accountable for the systematic and widespread human rights violations committed against Syrian civilians."

In view of the information presented above, Alkarama referred Abdo's case to the UN Commission of Inquiry, established by a resolution of the Human Rights Council on 22 August 2011 to investigate "all alleged violations of international human rights law [in Syria] since March 2011" and ensure that "perpetrators of violations, including those that may constitute a crime against humanity, are held accountable." Since the outbreak of violence in March 2011, the conflict in Syria has already resulted in the loss of over 150,000 lives and forced almost 9 million people to flee their homes, including about 6.5 million internally displaced persons.

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