Rising kidnappings, disappearances in Homs, Latakia amid official silence

Kidnappings and disappearances continue in Homs and Latakia, with escalating public anxiety and lack of official statements, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

In the past few days, four separate cases were reported, including the disappearance of two brothers from the town of Hadidah in western rural Homs while they were heading to Lebanon via the Al-Arida crossing, with their fate still unknown.

Also, a young man from the village of Ain al-Tineh went missing on Sunday, June 29, while returning from work in the village of Al-Maajir. Another young man was kidnapped from Qardaha on Saturday, June 28, while working in Jableh—he supports a wife and three children.

In a separate incident, a citizen from the village of Al-Khuzaymiya in rural Qardaha was kidnapped at dawn on Saturday by unknown men driving a silver "Santa Fe" vehicle. The kidnappers demanded a ransom of 500 million Syrian pounds.

The victims’ families continue to appeal to the concerned authorities to intervene and reveal the fate of their loved ones, amid official silence and fears of the increase of this phenomenon due to the lack of deterrent and security measures.

A-H 

ANHA