SDC welcomes prisoner exchange in Sweida, calls for expanding it across Syria

The SDC issued a written statement to public opinion today, welcoming the prisoner release and exchange process that took place in Sweida. According to reliable information, the operation led to the release of 86 detainees under the supervision of the International Committee of the Red Cross. The exchange included the return of 61 civilians to Sweida and 25 to Damascus, in exchange for the release of approximately 30 government personnel who had been held by local groups.

The Council considered the step a practical indication that humanitarian breakthroughs are possible despite the complexities of the Syrian landscape. It noted that addressing sensitive files, foremost among them the issue of detainees and prisoners, could serve as an entry point for reducing tensions and opening pathways toward confidence-building.

The Council urged that the process not be treated as an isolated event, but rather built upon and generalized across the entire Syrian geography, particularly in the relationship between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Interim Government. It called for clear and transparent mechanisms to ensure the continuity of reciprocal release operations, free from selectivity or political exploitation.

The statement also stressed the need to adopt the detainee and prisoner file as an urgent national priority and to launch a comprehensive and organized process for exchanges in all Syrian regions. Such steps, it said, would help narrow divisions among Syrians, repair the national social fabric, and strengthen civil peace, paving the way toward a new phase of understanding and national partnership.

A-H 

ANHA