Syria sees 579 arbitrary detentions last month: NGO

By Mahmoud Barakat

CAIRO (AA) – A total of 579 arbitrary detention cases have been reported across war-torn Syria last month, according to human rights NGO.

In a report on Saturday, the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) said Syrian regime forces were responsible for 87 percent of the registered arbitrary detentions in February.

“In most cases, families of the victims are unable to exactly locate the body responsible for the arrest,” the NGO said.

The SNHR said despite cessation of hostilities agreements in Syria, no positive steps have been taken regarding ending arbitrary detentions and forcible disappearances in Syria.

The NGO went on to call for taking an immediate action to stop the practice and allowing families of those detained and forcibly disappeared to know their fates.

Syria has been locked in a devastating conflict since early 2011 when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.

According to UN officials, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict to date.