This human rights report documents the arrest of Dr. Ramez al-Ali, a vascular surgeon and a member of the Alawite community, following his detention by elements of the General Security apparatus affiliated with the interim authority, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, who apprehended him at his workplace in the Syrian capital, Damascus. The incident involves serious human rights violations, most notably the right to personal liberty and the protection of private property.
According to verified information, Dr. Ramez al-Ali was arrested from his medical clinic located in the al-Shaalan area, near the Boz al-Jadi restaurant in central Damascus, on 7 February 2026, without the presentation of any lawful arrest warrant or the provision of reasons for his detention.
Local activists reported that the arrest was not limited to detaining the doctor at his clinic; it was accompanied by a raid on his home by the same elements, during which they proceeded to steal all household contents, including cash, jewelry, and valuable belongings. This constitutes a flagrant violation of the inviolability of homes and of fundamental rules prohibiting looting and the unlawful seizure of private property.
This incident occurs within a broader context of increasing cases of kidnapping, arbitrary arrest, and enforced disappearance of civilians, including medical professionals, particularly in Syrian areas characterized by the absence of effective legal accountability. Such practices raise serious concerns about the targeting of individuals on sectarian or identity-based grounds, threaten civil peace, and undermine the fundamental guarantees enshrined in international human rights law, including the right to personal security and freedom from arbitrary arrest or arbitrary treatment.
