05 May 2011
Mr Abdulrahman Al Hamada was abducted form his brother's home in Duma close to Damascus on 30 April 2011. Alkarama fears for his physical and mental integrity as he is at high risk of torture and ill-treatment during his detention, particularly given the current context in Syria.
22-year-old Mr Al Hamada, is a Syrian student normally attending business school. We fear that he might have been arrested as a hostage by the Syrian authorities as the latter search for relatives of Mr Al Hamada who are actively involved in the growing Syrian opposition movement. At the time of his arrest, he was speaking with them on Skype and told them that security forces had surrounded the house and climbed on the roof. The security agents then invaded the house and took him to an unknown location after forcing him to contact his brother and ask him to come home to surrender. Alkarama is concerned that Mr Al Hamada may be at risk of ill-treatment and even torture given his family ties to key human rights defenders in Syria.
In light of the above information, Alkarama submitted the disappearance of Mr Al Hamada to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, requesting that the Syrian authorities be reminded of their obligations under international law not to use torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and asking for Mr Al Hamada's immediate release.