On 12 November 2025, the Internal Security Forces affiliated with the interim authority “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham” carried out an operation in the Sheikh Badr area in rural Tartous, which resulted in the arrest of Sheikh Abdel Ghani Kassab and two of his sons as part of a group that included 13 people.
Sheikh Abdel Ghani Kassab was subjected to torture during his detention, which led to the deterioration of his health and his transfer to the hospital, where a circulated video scene showed blue bruises on his body and bleeding in his feet.
Accounts vary regarding the identity and role of the victim. While supporters of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham describe him as “one of the most prominent agents of the former regime and facilitators of Iran’s project,” speaking of an incident in late 2011 when shots were fired at demonstrators from inside his villa, other accounts assert that he is an independent religious figure with proselytizing and religious chanting activities, and that his relationship with the former regime was tense, as the Directorate of Religious Endowments in Aleppo restricted his work and a number of his students were arrested.
What the recorded scenes documented of bruises and bleeding on the body of Sheikh Abdel Ghani Kassab, and the deterioration of his health caused by the torture, constitutes a flagrant violation of the right to physical and psychological integrity, and is a crime under international humanitarian law and the Convention Against Torture, which absolutely prohibits any cruel or degrading treatment, regardless of affiliations or charges.
The continuation of such practices in areas controlled by “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham,” amid the absence of accountability and the spread of a culture of impunity, represents a stain on the conscience of humanity.
“Rights Monitor,” human rights monitor platform in Syria, calls for:
– Opening an immediate, independent, and impartial investigation into the circumstances of this crime and holding all those responsible accountable.
– The immediate cessation of all forms of torture and ill-treatment in all detention centers.
– Guaranteeing the rights of all detainees, including the right to a lawyer, medical care, and a fair trial.
– Allowing neutral international and local organizations access to all detention centers.
