On Thursday, July 2, 2026, a patrol belonging to the Public Security Directorate arrested Kurdish citizen Nabih Mousa al-Taha—a Kurdish tribal chief, Head of the National Council of Kurdish Tribes in Syria, and President of the Supreme National Committee for Syrian Kurds. This followed his public declaration of solidarity with the elderly Kurdish woman, Nezha Hamki, who was assaulted during a security raid campaign targeting the predominantly Kurdish towns of Tal Aran and Tal Hasil in the eastern countryside of Aleppo.
Nabih Mousa al-Taha was detained after appearing in a video clip alongside Nezha Hamki, expressing solidarity with the women who were assaulted during the security operation. Sources indicated that he was taken to a security headquarters in the As-Safira area, without any clear legal grounds being announced for his arrest.
This arrest comes within the context of a security campaign that commenced on June 30, 2026, targeting the towns of Tal Aran and Tal Hasil. According to available information, the campaign resulted in the arrest of more than ten Kurdish citizens, including a 13-year-old child, in addition to the assault on the elderly Kurdish woman, Nezha Hamki, when she requested the personnel to produce a judicial warrant for arrest and search.
Local sources reported that the campaign was accompanied by a massive security deployment and the sealing off of the entry and exit points of both towns, which induced a state of fear and anxiety among the civilian population.
Furthermore, video recordings documented a gathering of several women during the execution of the raids, where they demanded that security personnel present judicial arrest and search warrants. Other footage showed Nezha Hamki being subjected to assault after she filmed the raid operations.
Following the arrest of Nabih Mousa al-Taha, Rights Monitor Syria tracked an escalation of inciting rhetoric targeting him on social media platforms. This included accusations of affiliation with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and descriptions using provocative language, without appending any documented evidence to substantiate those claims. The posts also contained phrases involving hate speech targeting Kurdish citizens on the basis of national identity, raising concerns regarding the utilization of defamation and incitement campaigns to justify or accompany detention measures.
The detention of Nabih Mousa al-Taha without disclosing the charges brought against him, or granting him due process and legal guarantees, raises serious concerns of arbitrary detention. This is particularly critical in light of information indicating that his arrest followed the exercise of his right to peaceful expression and solidarity with victims of alleged violations.
The fundamental principles of international human rights law emphasize that all detention procedures must be based on a clear legal foundation, that detainees must be informed of the reasons for their arrest, enabled to communicate with their families and legal counsel, and brought before a competent judicial authority within a reasonable time. This must be conducted while ensuring respect for the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and protecting civilians from arbitrary arrest, hate speech, and discrimination based on nationality or ethnic affiliation.
