The arrest of Sheikh Ibrahim Adnan Kassab in Sayyida Zaynab, Damascus, Raises Human Rights Concerns Regarding Freedom of Religion and Fair Trial Guarantees
On 19 February 2026, the Rights Monitor platform documented the arrest of Sheikh Ibrahim Adnan Kassab by the General Security forces affiliated with the interim authority in Syria (Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham), while he was present in the city of Sayyida Zaynab near Damascus.
The arrest of Sheikh Kassab—an Islamic scholar from the Shiite community originally from the town of al-Zahraa in the northern countryside of Aleppo—constitutes a development that raises serious concerns regarding respect for freedom of belief and the due legal guarantees required in cases of detention, particularly in the absence of any official statement clarifying the legal basis for the arrest or the place of detention.
According to corroborated information, Sheikh Ibrahim Adnan Kassab is known as a student of the religious seminary (hawza) in the city of Sayyida Zaynab. He has been recognized for his religious and guidance activities among members of the community and for his participation in efforts to preserve civil peace in the area surrounding the Shrine of Sayyida Zaynab.
A statement issued by the Zaynabiyya Shrine administration further indicated that, approximately one year prior to his arrest, he had been subjected to harassment and acts of extortion that ultimately resulted in the loss of his home located in the Gharba neighborhood adjacent to the city of Sayyida Zaynab.
According to the statement, the arrest reportedly occurred against the backdrop of inflammatory posts circulated on social media platforms, the source of which was attributed to external parties.
The arrest of any person without disclosure of clear and specific reasons, or without enabling that person to communicate with a lawyer and their family, may amount to arbitrary detention under international standards.
Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights provides that everyone has the right to liberty and security of person and prohibits arbitrary arrest or detention. It further requires that anyone who is arrested be informed, at the time of arrest, of the reasons for the arrest and be promptly enabled to challenge the lawfulness of detention before an independent judicial authority.
Article 18 of the same Covenant guarantees freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, including the freedom to manifest one’s religion or belief, either individually or in community with others. In situations of armed conflict or unrest, the 1949 Geneva Conventions affirm the obligation to treat all persons humanely without discrimination based on religion or sectarian affiliation and prohibit any infringement of personal dignity or the application of coercive measures or punitive actions outside a clear legal framework.
Accordingly, any measure taken on the basis of religious affiliation or peaceful religious activity, or on the basis of unsubstantiated allegations circulated via social media, constitutes a violation of the applicable international standards.
In light of the foregoing, we call for the immediate disclosure of the place of detention and legal status of Sheikh Ibrahim Adnan Kassab, for him to be granted access to his family and to a lawyer of his choosing, for clarification of the legal basis of the arrest and any charges formally and specifically brought against him, for guarantees of his physical and psychological safety and protection from any cruel or degrading treatment, and for his immediate release unless charges supported by sufficient evidence are brought against him and presented before an independent judiciary that affords full fair trial guarantees.
This incident underscores the urgent need to safeguard civil peace in the city of Sayyida Zaynab, which has long hosted members of Syrian society of diverse affiliations, and to ensure that the de facto authorities comply with international humanitarian law and human rights standards in a manner that preserves the dignity of citizens and prevents the fueling or exploitation of sectarian tensions.
