Citizen Mohammad Ali, a resident of Sheikh Al-Hadid subdistrict in the countryside of Afrin city, northern Syria, died on December 6, 2025, as a result of the brutal torture he endured at the hands of Syrian National Army forces affiliated with the Turkish occupation. This followed months of deterioration in his health, during which he lost the ability to move, speak, or recognize those around him.
Mohammad Ali, a Kurdish citizen, father of three children, and approximately forty years old, was kidnapped on December 1, 2024, and held for 42 days in the Ma’arat prison under the “Al-Hamzat” faction, supervised by Turkish intelligence. This faction is one of the groups under the banner of the Syrian National Army. During his detention, he was subjected to systematic torture, including severe burning of his feet, flogging, partial or complete amputation of nine of his toes with a saw, and whipping with a cane, resulting in fractures in four teeth, lacerations to his lips, and widespread bruising. He was also denied access to the necessary medication for his preexisting neurological condition.
Mohammad Ali was released after the end of his detention period and left in front of Afrin Military Hospital in critical condition, then transferred to Aleppo for treatment. Despite ongoing treatment for several months, his health continued to deteriorate. He suffered severe wasting and was unable to move due to permanent nerve damage in his feet. He also experienced severe psychological disorders that prevented him from recognizing his surroundings or speaking clearly, with his interaction limited to intermittent moaning and episodes of fear and trembling.
Information indicates that the torture was carried out on the basis of accusations of “collaborating with the Autonomous Administration,” a charge often used against Kurdish civilians in the region.
Mohammad Ali’s death comes amid escalating violations and within a broader context of ongoing violence in the region since Turkey’s occupation of Afrin, a predominantly Kurdish area, on March 18, 2018, followed by the displacement of more than 400,000 of its original residents, in addition to killings, kidnappings, torture, and the imposition of extortion, amid the absence of justice and accountability and the continued state of security chaos.
