HTS demands detainees’ families pay healthcare costs
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IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly al-Nusra Front) demanded that families of some of the detainees in its prisons in Idlib, northwestern Syria, pay the costs of healthcare provided to their relatives in the last three months, especially those who suffer chronic diseases.
An exclusive source affiliated with HTS told North Press that the announcement was made as the families were visiting their relatives. Once there, they were directed to the Office of Detainees’ Affairs and informed of the bills incurred in providing medical care to the prisoners.
The expenses included emergency care and the treatment of chronic diseases.
HTS stressed that the families must pay the bills before the end of the month, according to the source.
HTS has previously used detainees, among a variety of strategies, in order to extract money from the local population and fund its group, the source added.
Health care in the central prison, west of Idlib, is close to non-existent, as cases of scabies, asthma and tuberculosis have spread widely as a result of moisture and poor ventilation, especially in winter. No treatment is provided, a former prisoner told North Press.