On Thursday, 12 March 2026, Internal Security forces affiliated with the Transitional Authority in Syria arrested the content creator and civil activist Hossam Al-Younes at the checkpoint of Al-Matouna village, located on the Damascus–Suwayda road, northwest of Suwayda Governorate, while he was returning to Syria from Lebanon.
According to available information, members of the General Security affiliated with the transitional government stopped Hossam Al-Younes as he was passing through the security checkpoint in Al-Matouna village, which constitutes one of the main entry points to As-Suwayda Governorate on the road connecting it with the capital, Damascus. Al-Younes had arrived at the checkpoint during his return journey from Lebanon, after having left the country approximately one month earlier to work there.
According to the sources, Al-Younes’ decision to return to Syria came as a result of the recent escalation in military operations and shelling in Lebanon, which prompted him to leave Lebanese territory and return to his hometown in As-Suwayda Governorate. However, his journey ended with his detention at the security checkpoint, without any official clarification regarding the reasons for his arrest or the place of his detention up to the moment of preparing this report.
Hossam Al-Younes is originally from As-Suwayda Governorate and belongs to the Druze community. He is known for his activity on social media platforms, where he produces social and humanitarian content. He has also been known for his peaceful civil activism, as he has never previously participated in any military activity, and his work has been limited to documenting and conveying the social and humanitarian realities in the region.
Following the events of July 2025 that took place in As-Suwayda Governorate, which were accompanied by widespread violations against civilians, Al-Younes initiated the establishment of a voluntary relief team that contributed to providing humanitarian assistance to hundreds of affected families who had lost their homes or breadwinners as a result of the violence. He subsequently continued publishing content focusing on social and humanitarian issues.
The arrest of Hossam Al-Younes raises serious concerns regarding the possibility that he has been subjected to arbitrary detention, particularly in light of the absence of any publicly declared legal justification for his arrest or the provision of access to communicate with a lawyer or his family.
This incident comes within the context of a series of arrests that have affected a number of residents of As-Suwayda Governorate in recent times, whether at the security checkpoints deployed along the main roads or within government institutions in Damascus, without publicly announced legal grounds or the provision of guarantees of a fair trial.
Such practices constitute a violation of the fundamental standards stipulated in national laws and international human rights instruments, particularly with regard to the protection of personal liberty, the prohibition of arbitrary detention, and the guarantee of detainees’ right to fair legal procedures.
As-Suwayda Governorate has been experiencing escalating security tensions since July 2025, when a serious wave of violations against civilians occurred, including killings, kidnappings, and various assaults, following an attack carried out by forces affiliated with the transitional authorities. These events have contributed to deepening concerns among local residents—particularly members of the Druze community—regarding the continued deterioration of the security situation and the recurrence of violations against civilians.
