Incident Summary:
Retired Brigadier General Tarek Habib Ismandar, from the Alawite community, died on October 18, 2025, inside one of the prisons run by the Interim Authority (Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham – HTS). He had been arrested on May 7, 2025, and died without ever being brought before a court or formally charged with any crime. Reports indicate that his death may have resulted from torture or deliberate medical neglect during detention.
Detailed Information:
Victim: Tarek Habib Ismandar
Religious/Sectarian Background: Alawite
Occupation: Retired Brigadier General in the former Syrian government army (Baath Party), and former commander of Taftanaz Military Airbase
Date: October 18, 2025 (date of death); arrested on May 7, 2025
Location: One of the prisons of the Interim Authority (Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham)
Perpetrator: Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and the current authorities
Documentation Notes:
Deaths in these prisons are routinely recorded as caused by “heart attacks,” regardless of the actual circumstances.
The victim’s body was handed over to his family on the same day of his death.
Context:
This case occurs amid a growing pattern of violence, kidnappings, and targeted attacks against minority groups in areas controlled by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham.
