Sema
Aras Jalal, the media spokesperson for the International Organization for Development and Human Rights in the Middle East, reported that more than 800 Kurdish Ezidis are being held in prisons in Idlib, which is under the control of the former “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham” (HTS), the group now leading the transitional authority in Damascus.
Jalal told the network that “the fate of 2,150 Kurds remains unknown; they were detained by ISIS militants in areas including Aleppo, Kobani, and Raqqa.”
He further explained that the number of Kurdish detainees held by factions of the Syrian National Army is about 5,400 civilians, including 275 women and 250 children. These detentions occurred in Afrin, Ras al-Ayn (Sere Kaniye), and Tal Abyad (Gire Spi).
“800 Ezidis in Idlib Prisons”
Jalal also spoke about the fate of the Ezidis, stating: “To this day, more than 2,000 Yazidis remain missing, most of whom were detained by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham between 2017 and 2019. They are now in Idlib, Syria.”
He added that “after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime, many prisoners were released, but those held in prisons controlled by HTS remained. According to our information, there are still more than 800 Ezidis detained in Idlib.”
Jalal pointed out that despite the current Syrian transitional president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, being the former leader of HTS, “Idlib has seen no change in its governance and continues to be run by the same armed groups affiliated with HTS.”