Thamer Habib al-Talla, a lawyer from Hasaka city, was arrested by Syrian regime forces in late April 2024, outside the Palace of Justice in the city, where he was working. He was then taken to the local branch of the regime’s Criminal Security branch in the city.
According to intelligence gathered by the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), Thamer’s family learned that his health began to deteriorate a few days after his detention. Although family members urged Criminal Security personnel to transfer him to Hasaka city for urgent medical treatment, all of their appeals were turned down.
On May 8, 2024, Thamer’s family was notified by a Syrian regime official that he had died at the Criminal Security branch in Hasaka city. His body was returned to his family at the city’s Shabou Hospital later that day. SNHR can confirm that Thamer was in good health at the time of his arrest, indicating a strong probability that he died due to torture and medical negligence in the Criminal Security branch in Hasaka city.
International law strictly prohibits torture and all other forms of cruel, degrading, or inhumane torture. The prohibition of torture is a customary rule that cannot be disputed or balanced against other rights or values, even in times of emergency. Violating this rule is a crime under international criminal law. Those who issued the orders for or assisted in carrying out torture are criminally liable for their actions.
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