Alkarama is deeply concerned about the alleged violations of human rights in Syria. At present, we were informed of the cases of 40 Syrian minors who are being or were detained incommunicado by the Air Force Intelligence. They are suffering, or have suffered, torture despite being minors under international law as all were 17 or under at the time of their arrest. All of them were arrested or abducted by agents from the Air Force Intelligence from the streets of Daraya, Rif Damascus Governorate, and have been subjected to the same ill-treatment and torture to which adults are being exposed to in Syria.

Yahya Al-Shurbaji, a 33-year old Syrian human rights defender was arrested on 6 September 2011 in Sahnaya, in the Damascus countryside following a car chase by agents of the Damascus Intelligence Service. Mr Al-Shurbaji and his friend Ghayath Mattar were victim of an ambush: they went together to the Al Mazza Military Airport believing that Mr Al-Shurbaji's brother, who is detained there, was injured and needed an ambulance. Given the facts of the case, Alkarama was seized of the case.