Syrian citizens have demonstrated this week to demand justice for the death of Mohammad Ghamira, a Syrian man who passed away in the hospital following alleged mistreatment by security forces while in custody. This incident occurred less than two years after the new government pledged to eradicate the widespread arbitrary detentions and abuse that characterized the previous regime.
Ghamira’s family informed the authorities that the 29-year-old, a father of two, suffered from hemophilia, a genetic disorder affecting blood clotting. He was held in detention for three days before being released on August 9 and immediately hospitalized, where he passed away a week later.
For the new Syrian government, Ghamira’s death serves as a crucial test of its commitment to ensuring accountability in the aftermath of the decades-long rule of the Assad regime. Following his death, peaceful sit-ins and protests have emerged across the country, shedding light on numerous reports of alleged mistreatment within detention centers since the change in leadership.
Fadel Abdulghany, the Executive Director of the Syrian Network for Human Rights, emphasized the need for a unified and judicially supervised system to govern detention practices in the country’s transition period. He stressed that the accountability for cases like Ghamira’s must be systematic and not selective.
Ghamira, a former volunteer with the White Helmets, was detained on suspicion of theft by the Latakia Internal Security Command. Despite his family’s warnings about his medical condition, including his hemophilia, he was reportedly subjected to physical abuse while in custody.
The Syria Campaign, a rights group, criticized the internal investigation’s findings regarding Ghamira’s death, highlighting the need for systemic reforms to prevent future abuses in detention facilities. The government’s pledge for accountability in this case is seen as insufficient by families of those who suffered in detention during the previous regime.
Reports indicate that despite the transitional government’s promises of upholding the rule of law, fair trials, and judicial oversight, abuses persist in detention centers. Organizations like Syrians for Truth and Justice have documented ongoing practices of torture, beatings, and other forms of mistreatment by various security and military entities.
The call for an independent and transparent investigation into Ghamira’s death, along with structural reforms to prevent similar incidents, continues to resonate among Syrians seeking justice and accountability in the post-Assad era.