Russia, China, India renewed on Friday constant support to Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the necessity of finding a political solution to the crisis in the country, in addition to taking all the necessary actions to rebuild it. In a joint statement, published by SANA following a meeting between the foreign ministers of the three countries via video, they expressed their conviction that there is no military solution to the crisis in Syria, affirming their continued support for the peaceful political process under the auspices of the UN.
Al-Araby al-Jadeed reported that Syria had participated in INTERPOL’s three days long general assembly in Istanbul this week where member states voted on new resolutions for the global policing body. Syria’s attendance comes after INTERPOL lifted corrective measures on the state in October, granting it access to the organization’s communication networks. Human rights activists expressed fear over the move, warning that Damascus could abuse INTERPOL’s policing tools, such as red notices, to pursue dissidents abroad. INTERPOL is an international policing organization meant to facilitate transnational cooperation to combat crime, particularly those concerning children, as well as human and drug trafficking. The organization has been plagued by accusations that it is used by despotic governments to punish political opponents, despite INTERPOL’s stated commitment to be apolitical. The tool that has attracted the most ire in INTERPOL is red notices.
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Two women and a child from the same family were killed in an attack in Syria’s northern city of Manbij, authorities said. Five others were wounded in the “terrorist explosion” on Saturday that occurred as a vehicle carrying civilians passed the entrance to the Arab-majority city under Kurdish administration, the Manbij military council said without providing further details. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a car bomb was used to carry out the attack. It said two civilians died, while five people were wounded – including two members of the Kurdish Asayesh security forces.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are preparing to release over 850 detainees arrested on charges of “belonging to ISIS,” mainly from Deir-ez-Zor and al-Hassakeh, after mediation by tribal elders. It is still unknown if all the prisoners will be released at once or in stages, Asharq Al-Awsat reported. On September 22, SDF released nine residents from al-Shuaytaat. They were arrested a week earlier from Abu Hamam town in Deir-ez-Zor’s countryside after they participated in a demonstration protesting SDF’s policies against the people of Deir-ez-Zor.
One person died yesterday, under torture in Aleppo-based al-Ra’i prison run by Turkish-backed Syrian opposition factions. According to North Press, Suleiman Nouri No’man, 51, from the Afrin region in Syria, was arrested in June 2019 on charges of previous links with the Autonomous Administration. No’man was beaten and tortured to death in the jail of al-Ra’i. The jail management informed the family of the deceased on Saturday to attend and retrieve his body. The city of Afrin and its villages, north of Aleppo, have been controlled by Turkish forces and the affiliated factions since March 2018.
