The Syrian Feminist Lobby expresses its deep concern regarding the arbitrary detention of Mrs. Yara Salman by the Criminal Investigation Branch in Harem. Mrs. Salman — a mother of a five-year-old girl — was forcibly disappeared in broad daylight on 30 October 2025 from the Al-Faroos area in Latakia, under threats directed at members of her family.
On 22 November 2025, Mrs. Salman managed to send a distress call. Security forces in Qurqinya dispatched a patrol that arrested the kidnapper and transferred him, along with Mrs. Salman, to the Criminal Investigation Branch in Harem. The authorities in Harem proceeded to detain the perpetrator while simultaneously holding the victim in custody, depriving her of her right to defense and legal representation. The authorities refused to allow her to appoint a lawyer under the pretext that she “remains under investigation” until the case file is referred to the Public Prosecutor.
Women human rights defenders who communicated with both local and central authorities, reported to the Documentation and Monitoring Unit at Syrian Feminist Lobby (SFL-DMU) that their efforts yielded no results. The authorities continue to maintain a complete lack of legal transparency regarding Mrs. Salman’s situation, insisting on a narrative claiming that the victim “went away willingly”, the same harmful narrative previously used by the National Investigative Committee for Abduction Cases stigmatizing other victims. This narrative poses grave social and legal risks; it turns the victim into a suspect, exonerates the perpetrator, and exposes Mrs. Salman, her family, and other survivors in similar situations to ongoing threats.
This case constitutes a grave violation of human rights and of the obligations borne by the state under international law, foremost among them the prohibition of arbitrary and secret detention, the guarantee of the right to liberty and security, the right to truth, and the right to fair trial safeguards. It also represents a clear breach of the Syrian law, including the requirement that detainees be referred to the Public Prosecutor within 48 hours. Mrs. Salman, however, remains in arbitrary detention since Saturday, 22 November 2025, without due referral as of the date of this statement.
The Syrian Feminist Lobby calls on the relevant Syrian authorities to: immediately and unconditionally release Mrs. Yara Salman; ensure her safe and dignified return to her family; and guarantee her effective access to legal remedies and justice, including an independent and effective investigation into the circumstances of her abduction and detention, and measures to ensure non-recurrence.
