Human rights sources reported that the lawyer Shamis Mahfoud, who is also a Doctor of International Law, President/Secretary-General of the Democratic Civil Assembly, and an activist in the defense of civil and political rights, was arrested on 5 December 2025 in the center of the Syrian capital, Damascus, from his office in the city center.
On the day following his arrest by the General Security forces affiliated with the interim authority “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham,” he was taken to his home, where it was searched and his entire private archive was confiscated, including personal and professional files, a laptop computer, and a mobile phone, before he was transferred to the investigation branch in Muadamiyat al-Sham.
According to the information received, the arrest came on the background of alleged claims of “conspiracy against state security,” following Mahfoud’s appearance in media interviews in which he criticized the policies of the de facto authority and called for reforms and for holding accountable those responsible for violations that occurred, within the context of his civil and human rights activity.
Human rights and civil organizations indicated that the pursuit and trial of lawyer Shamis Mahfoud come within the framework of what were described as malicious charges, on the background of his public activity as Secretary-General of the Democratic Civil Assembly, and his exercise of his legitimate right to work as a lawyer and defender of civil and political rights and freedom of opinion and expression—rights guaranteed by the relevant international conventions ratified by the Syrian state.
These organizations affirmed that the statements and activities of Shamis Mahfoud are consistent with his professional and human rights duty as a lawyer and civil activist, especially in light of the widespread violations of basic human rights taking place in Syria.
In a statement issued on 16 December 2025, a group of human rights and civil organizations demanded the immediate release of lawyer Shamis Mahfoud, considering that his arrest and the confiscation of his archive and work tools constitute a violation of his fundamental rights, particularly freedom of opinion and expression and human rights work.
The statement was signed by a number of human rights and civil organizations and centers, including: the Damascus Center for Theoretical Studies and Civil Rights, the Arab Committee for Human Rights, the International Movement for Human Rights and Peoples, the Amman Center for Human Rights Studies, the SIHR/FHM Association for Human Rights (France), the French Observatory for Human Rights, the Human Rights Organization in Syria (MAF), the Scandinavian Institute for Human Rights / Haytham Manna Foundation (Geneva), in addition to other local and international civil and human rights groupings and organizations.
“Rights Monitor Syria” – Human Rights Monitor Platform in Syria – condemns in the strongest terms the arrest of lawyer and human rights activist Dr. Shamis Mahfoud, and the accompanying arbitrary measures represented by taking him from his office, then raiding his home and confiscating his professional and personal archive and work tools, before transferring him to one of the investigation branches.
The platform considers that this arrest comes within a broader context of ongoing repression of human rights defenders and civil activists in Syria, and the targeting of legal voices that exercise their legitimate right to peaceful expression, public criticism, and the demand for accountability and justice. It also considers that directing vague charges such as “conspiracy against state security” constitutes a recurring pattern used to criminalize human rights and civil work and to silence anyone seeking to expose violations or call for reform.
“Rights Monitor Syria” affirms that what Dr. Shamis Mahfoud has been subjected to represents a clear violation of freedom of opinion and expression, a breach of the basic guarantees for lawyers, and a violation of the principles of the independence of legal work, in addition to contravening legal obligations and international conventions related to the protection of human rights defenders.
The platform holds the authority responsible for the arrest fully legally accountable for the physical and psychological safety of Dr. Shamis Mahfoud, and calls for his immediate and unconditional release, the cessation of all forms of security and judicial harassment against him, and the return of all confiscated property and files.
“Rights Monitor Syria” also calls for putting an end to the policy of arbitrary arrests, respecting basic rights and freedoms, and ensuring a safe environment that enables lawyers and civil activists to perform their legitimate role in defending human rights without fear or retaliation.
