Freed detainee Azad Othman recounts 7 years in captivity, calls for release of detainees

Azad Othman and Alaa Ibrahim, who were detained by armed groups affiliated with the Turkish state on 12 October 2019, were released as part of ongoing prisoner release operations under the 29 January agreement signed between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Syria’s interim government. The agreement has so far led to the release of several SDF fighters held by armed groups affiliated with the interim government.

The story of Azad Othman and Alaa Ibrahim dates back to the early days of the offensive launched by Turkey and its affiliated groups against the cities of Serekaniye and Girê Spî/Tal Abyad on 9 October 2019. During the assault, roads were closed and arrest campaigns targeted civilians and travelers.

On 12 October of the same year, while traveling toward the city of Tabqa, Azad and Alaa were detained in the town of Suluk. They remained in captivity for seven full years until their release on 17 July 2026, and their arrival at their homes in Qamishlo on Wednesday evening.

Azad Othman recounted details of his detention to ANHA agency, saying: “While we were on the road, military vehicles stopped us. The people inside were wearing military uniforms. At first, we thought they were American soldiers because the vehicles did not carry any flags or symbols. They detained us, and minutes later we heard an explosion. Two days later, they told us that they had assassinated Hevrin Khalaf at the same location where we had been detained.”

He added that the armed groups held him and Alaa Ibrahim in the same room, where they remained isolated from the outside world for seven years without being allowed to visit or communicate with their families.

He said, “I never believed that we would get out one day. We spent our time telling each other stories about our lives, from childhood to old age, to endure the cruelty of prison. After seven years, they suddenly told us that an integration process had taken place between the SDF and the parties holding us, and that we would be leaving. We did not believe it until we reached Aleppo and were handed over to representatives of the SDF.”

Azad Othman called for the release of all detainees, urging an end to the suffering of families still waiting for their loved ones to return. He said that all detainees deserve to reunite with their families and their people.

Azad Othman’s story carries a deeply human dimension. At the time of his arrest, he was a father of two children, while his wife was pregnant with their third child, who was born one month after his detention. He remained deprived of seeing her for seven years before meeting her for the first time after his release, allowing the family to reunite once again.

A-H

ANHA