IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – I do not know if my husband is still alive or not. Abeer al-Beri says as she knows nothing about the fate of her husband who was taken from home eight months ago under “espionage for the Syrian regime.”
Al-Beri’s case is not an isolated case, there are many other women whose husbands or sons are detained by the general security apparatus of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS- formerly known as al-Nusra Front) in Idlib and its countryside.
According to a source in the Criminal Security Branch in Idlib, “There are more than nine prisons run by the HTS general security apparatus of in Idlib and its countryside alone.”
“Tens of detainees are held under separate accusations such as affiliation to the Islamic State Organization (ISIS) or corroboration with Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) or regime [Syrian government],” the source added.
According to the source, there are detainees whose whereabouts is still unknown to their families, “in the absence of any association or a legal body to help in disclosing their fates or know about their conditions.”
the 33-year-old al-Beri, an IDP from al-Ghouta al-Sharqiya, residing in the city of Binnish in Idlib countryside, said, “It is eight months since my husband (Muhannad) was arrested by al-Julani’s security apparatus although I tried unsparingly- by myself and via mediators- to verify his fate, to no avail.”
She added the security apparatus released over the past months “ISIS militants without trials.”
Based on information obtained from a released detainee, the wife was told her husband is held at the Security Branch 107 of the Central Security Branch in the city of Idlib under the charge of “corroboration with the regime with no evidences to ascertain that or even to be prosecuted by a tribunal.”
After five months insistence from the part of al-Beri, she was allowed to visit office of the General Security Apparatus in Idlib, and meet Abu Muhammad al-Felestini, a man known in charge of the office, who “affirmed that the issue was mere a security one an nobody in the world is entitled to interfere in.”
Al-Felestini did not reveal Muhannad’s whereabouts or his health condition or even the charges against him, and he kicked out al-Beri from the office and threatened as well, according to Abeer.
However, 57-year-old Umm Qusai, a widow IDP from Deir ez-Zor residing in Idlib, was not “lucky” enough to meet any official of the General Security apparatus in the city, though she spared no efforts over the last six months after her only son was detained, however that bore no fruits.
Umm Qusai had no idea about the fate of her son until a piece of information arrived that Qusai was held at Security Branch 107, adding that “he suffers from unstable health condition due to savage torture.”
The mother called on the General Security Apparatus to prosecute her son openly, “However the absence of independent legal bodies or laws adopted by the security branch make detainees’ disappearance a common occurrence notably those who do not have any influential acquaintances in the area.”
On this regard, law professor in the University of Idlib told North Press on the condition of anonymity there is no legal or judiciary associations in Idlib in the true sense of the word.
“The sole dominant authority in all aspects of life is the General Security Apparatus and its sub-offices deployed across Idlib; city and countryside,” the professor said.
The professor added that though HTS claims there are a judiciary tribunal and legal associations, however, reality does not differ from ISIS dictatorial and exclusionist laws under which tens of detainees remain in darkness without verifying their fates or revealing accusation against them.”
The university professor revealed there are individuals who have been arrested in the city of Idlib and its countryside since 2017 without being prosecuted or even allowing their families to know their conditions.
“The General Security Apparatus which emanates its authority from Abu Maria al-Qahtani, HTS’s highest ranking security official, and a shura council that includes unknown extremists,” he said.
According to security sources, there are 215 petitions filed by families of detainees to the diwan of the General Security Apparatus, but they have not received any response up to now.