“The Paris-based Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) said the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the military force of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), detained at least 16 media workers in the former Islamic State (IS) capital of Raqqa on 30 July.
SNHR executive director Fadel Abdul Ghany said most of those arrested have previously documented IS crimes. He alleged the SDF, which justifies its existence through its fight against IS, is acting against those who pose a threat to this legitimacy.
Arresting 16 media workers – this is [a] slap against freedom of speech [and] freedom of journalists, Abdul Ghany told The New Arab on Thursday.
If ISIS committed such crimes against 16 media workers, or [jihadist group] HTS [did], the attention and the impact will be 10 [times more] than now.”
Abdul Ghany said that after the SNHR published a statement about the detentions, it received feedback from the US State Department, which he said is interested in seeking more details.
The SNHR said in its statement on Monday that the arrestees have not been allowed to speak with relatives or engage a lawyer.
We fear the detainees may suffer torture and go on to become forcibly disappeared, as is the case with 85 percent of all detainees,” the statement said. Abdul Ghany clarified this was an overall figure for Syria and not specific to AANES-governed territory.
It said the 16 arrestees work for several different organisations and were detained by SDF intelligence on “false” allegations of “espionage”. They were arrested without warrants, according to Abdul Ghany.”
