Government forces arbitrarily arrest 10 people in Syria’s Daraa
DARAA, Syria (North Press) – Syrian government forces arrested on Saturday 10 people in the town of Jassem, north of Daraa in southern Syria, without pressing any charges against them.
However, the government forces released some of the detainees in exchange for big ransoms.
A local source told North Press, “Syrian Air Force Intelligence checkpoint, stationed near al-Madhah in south of Jassem, has arrested 10 people without mentioning the reasons for the arrest.”
The checkpoint demanded the detainees to ask their families to pay ransoms estimated at 5 million Syrian pounds (about $1.000) in exchange for the release of each one, the source said.
Five of them were released after their families managed to pay the money. Meanwhile, the other five were transferred to the government forces’ prisons in Daraa city after failing to pay, the source added, noting that a man named Khalid Issa al-Banna was among those who were taken to Daraa’s prisons.
On Wednesday, Brigadier General Louay al-Ali, head of the Military Security Branch of the government forces in Daraa, met with community leaders of Jasim. In the meeting, al-Ali threatened to storm the city if they did not hand over those wanted by the government.
For about a week, the government forces have tightened security measures at their checkpoints in the region. On Friday, they arrested and consequently conscripted two people: Muhammad Khair Abdulsalam al-Jabawi and Malik Tayseer al-Dubeis.
Since the government forces re-captured Daraa in 2018, the governorate has been living in a state of insecurity, with assassinations, arrests and thefts taking place on a daily basis.