Syrian National Democratic Alliance condemns abduction of its political adviser

The Syrian National Democratic Alliance Party expressed its strong condemnation and deep outrage over the crime of abducting lawyer Alaa al-Din Assaf al-Khaled, which took place on Friday, 02 January 2026, in his hometown of Tel Hasel, occupied by Turkey and its mercenaries.

The party affirmed in its statement that what lawyer Alaa al-Din was subjected to constitutes a “kidnapping operation” and “arbitrary detention” in all its elements, and the statement added: “He was deprived of his freedom without a legal arrest warrant, without being formally charged, and outside the authority of any competent judicial body, in a grave and explicit violation of the right to liberty and personal security, and a direct undermining of the principle of the rule of law.”

The statement continued: “Targeting Mr. Alaa, a lawyer and peaceful political activist, cannot be separated from his legitimate professional and political activity, and constitutes a serious assault on the independence of the legal profession, and on peaceful political and civil work, as well as exposing his life to a real and imminent danger given his critical health condition.”

The statement clarified that lawyer al-Khaled is nearly seventy years old and considered elderly, which significantly increases the serious risks resulting from his arbitrary detention, warning that depriving him of his freedom and necessary medical care constitutes a “direct threat” to his life and physical safety, amounting to a violation of the right to life and the right to health.

The party affirmed that the Syrian transitional government and the Turkish occupation bear “full legal, political, and moral responsibility for the safety and life of lawyer Alaa al-Din Assaf al-Khaled, and considers that any harm that befalls him is a direct result of this unlawful detention.”

Through the statement, the party called for the immediate and unconditional release of lawyer al-Khaled, the prompt disclosure of his place of detention, and guarantees for his physical safety, in addition to ensuring his immediate and unrestricted access to necessary and specialized medical care.

The statement also called for the immediate cessation of abductions and arrests carried out outside the framework of the law, and for holding all responsible parties accountable without exception.

The party issued an urgent appeal through the statement to the United Nations, particularly the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, and the Special Rapporteurs on the independence of judges and lawyers and on the right to health, to take immediate action and implement measures to pressure for the release of lawyer al-Khaled, ensure his protection, and hold accountable those responsible for this serious violation.

The statement concluded by emphasizing that the continuation of such practices by the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries “constitutes a systematic violation of fundamental rights,” undermines “any claim of building a state governed by the rule of law or respecting legitimacy,” and reaffirmed the party’s “commitment to peaceful political action and to defending public rights and freedoms in accordance with national and international standards.”

Meanwhile, the Afrin–Syria Human Rights Organization announced on Friday, via its official platforms, that an armed group had abducted lawyer Alaa al-Din Khaled Kalo and taken him to an unknown location.

A-H 

ANHA