Kurdish civilian kidnapped on Afrin–Aleppo Road

The Afrin Human Rights Organization – Syria reported that a Kurdish civilian was abducted by forces affiliated with the Syrian Interim Government while traveling from Afrin to Aleppo, in what it described as part of escalating violations against Kurds.

18 April, 2026 21:45

NEWS DESK

The organization stated that “members of the General Security in the city of Azaz carried out, on Thursday, April 16, the abduction of Kurdish citizen Radwan Arslan Bakr (55), while he was traveling from Afrin to Aleppo.”

According to the statement, Bakr—originally from the village of Qotan in the Bulbul district, currently residing in Afrin, and the owner of a shop selling used auto spare parts—was abducted on the road before being taken to a security facility in the Azaz area.

The organization added that the man remains in detention so far, with no legal justification provided for his arrest and no official statement issued regarding his status.

It further noted that this incident comes amid the “ongoing policy of restrictions and arbitrary arrests targeting residents in northern rural Aleppo,” stressing that such practices exacerbate the suffering of civilians.

The organization called for an end to random raids and detentions without judicial warrants, urging respect for the law and the protection of civilians’ rights in the region.

a.k

ANHA