Rights Monitor – Human Rights Monitor Platform in Syria expresses its strong condemnation and deep concern regarding reports that security bodies affiliated with the Interim Authority in Syria (Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham) have arrested more than twenty Kurdish youths within one month, while they were passing through the Ma‘dan checkpoint south of Raqqa on their way to the Syrian capital, Damascus.
According to the testimony of one of the administrators at Haval Transport Company to a Kurdish media outlet on 17 November 2025, security personnel at the checkpoint inspected the youths’ phones and arrested anyone in whose phone they found images or symbols of a Kurdish nature, in a practice that represents a blatant violation of the rights to freedom of expression and cultural identity, and falls within patterns of arbitrary arrest and discrimination on the basis of ethnic affiliation.
We also note the humanitarian and economic consequences resulting from the closure of the Raqqa–Homs road, and the forced reliance of transport companies on longer and more dangerous routes, including crossing the dilapidated Ma‘dan bridge, which exposes travelers and transport drivers to additional and unnecessary risks.
Rights Monitor calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained youths, and for an end to all practices targeting civilians on the basis of their ethnic background, opinions, or personal belongings. It also urges the controlling authorities in the region and the international community to guarantee freedom of movement, protect civilians from violations, and hold accountable all those involved in arbitrary detention and discrimination.
Rights Monitor – Human Rights Monitor Platform in Syria
