The Syrian Network for Human Rights condemned the arrest by the military police of the Syrian National Army in Aleppo of calligrapher, cartoonist, and peaceful activist Ahmed Khalil al-Jalal.
The network said in a statement that Ahmed Khalil Jalal is from the city of Kafr Nabl in the southern countryside of Idlib and resides in the city of Azaz, north of Aleppo governorate. He was arrested by the military police on the 21st of this month after they raided his workplace at the headquarters of the Free University of Aleppo.
Arbitrary detention: What is the charge?
It added that his arrest came on charges of sheltering a civilian in his home with the intention of heading to the Syrian-Turkish border to cross into Turkey unofficially.
The network confirmed that the detention took place without presenting any judicial warrant, and he was taken to the Central Military Police Department of the National Army in the town of Kafr Jana near the city of Azaz.
Who is Ahmed Jalal?
The painter and calligrapher Ahmad Jalal was known for his satirical and humanitarian political caricatures when he lived in the city of Kafr Nabl.
Jalal moved to reside in the city of Azaz because of the pursuit by the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) security, due to his drawings that criticize the policy of HTS. There is a fear that the National Army will hand him over to HTS.
Arrests without warrants or accountability
The network pointed out that the National Army forces follow a similar policy to the Syrian regime in arrests, as there are no arrest warrants, but the arrest is carried out by kidnapping from roads, markets, and public places, or by raiding universities and civilian events.
It noted that Jalal was prevented from communicating with his family or appointing a lawyer for him, and there is a fear that he will be subjected to torture, and that he will become among the forcibly disappeared, like 85% of all detainees.
The network called for the immediate release of the painter, and for financial and moral compensation for the damage he suffered. It demanded the protection of all local activists under international humanitarian law.
It also called for holding all those involved in these violations accountable and for exposing and dismissing all those involved in kidnapping and torture practices over the past years.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
