Activists from the Aleppo revolution held a protest this Monday evening, August 17, in Saadallah Al-Jabiri Square in the city center, demanding an end to violations inside detention centers and investigating deaths attributed to torture, while activists called for a similar protest in Damascus tomorrow.
According to a reporter from the Verify-sy platform in Aleppo, participants gathered at 7 PM in response to a call by activists under the name "Aleppo Revolutionaries," following the death of Mohammad Ghamira after his arrest at the Al-Haffa police station and his transfer to the hospital.
The organizers of the protest had called, in a statement prior to the gathering, for revealing the circumstances of Ghamira's death, opening a "transparent and independent" investigation, and holding accountable those proven responsible, in addition to putting an end to violations attributed to elements affiliated with the Ministry of Interior.
The statement demanded the criminalization of torture, ensuring detainees' rights, reforming the detention system and security apparatus, enhancing oversight and accountability, as well as investigating claims of torture and mistreatment inside detention centers after the fall of the Assad regime, preserving evidence related to these violations, and ensuring they are not repeated.
According to the Verify-sy platform reporter, the start of the protest was delayed by about 15 minutes after security elements initially prevented the gathering due to the lack of a permit, before allowing it to proceed for no more than 15 minutes.
The reporter stated that security elements were deployed around Saadallah Al-Jabiri Square, surrounding the participants, while participants said some people heading to join the protest were prevented from reaching it.
During the prohibition period, participants contacted the internal security leadership in Aleppo to obtain approval for the protest, before being allowed to continue within the specified time.
The Verify-sy platform reporter also reported that one of the participants was asked to accompany security elements to meet the internal security chief in Aleppo, but the request was later withdrawn after the intervention of several attendees.
The Aleppo protest is part of movements called for by Syrian revolution activists rejecting torture inside detention centers, with a call for a similar protest in Damascus tomorrow.
https://www.verify-sy.com/ar/report/aleppo-protest-against-torture-detention
