By Tiril Andresen / GICJ
Last Thursday, on the 20th of January, an intense fight broke out in the Al-Sina`a/Ghuwayran prison, Al-Hasakeh, in northeast Syria. The fight started as an attempted jailbreak involving two car bombs. Over the last six days, the violence escalated, leading to an alarming amount of civil casualties. Although the exact number of deaths remains to be confirmed, reports from the prison estimate that nearly 300 people have been killed so far. [1] The Al-Hasakeh prison holds around 5 000 inmates associated with ISIL. This includes around 700 children, many of which were taken from their homes at a very young age as their parents were linked to terrorist groups.
After three days of intense fighting, on the 23rd of January, the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) declared that they were unable to take the responsibility for protecting these children. On the 25th of January, Special Rapporteur Fionnuala Ní Aoláin expressed deep concern about how the intense fighting in the Al-Hasakeh prison risks the welfare of its incarcerated children. She stated, “Boys as young as 12 are living in fear for their lives amid the chaos and carnage in the jail”. [2] These children are in desperate need of fundamental protection against torture and cruel treatment. The young boys are reportedly being used as human shields by ISIS soldiers, although this is still not confirmed. [3]
The UN calls for the immediate evacuation of the nearly 700 children held captive, as their livelihood and wellbeing is at risk. Special Rapporteur Fionnuala Ní Aoláin made an urgent call on all States to act. International actors must ensure these young individuals' protection and prevent them from suffering further harm. The children should be considered victims of terrorism and it should be ensured that their fundamental rights to safety and dignity are protected.
Geneva International Centre for Justice (GICJ) is deeply troubled by the ongoing fighting in the Al-Hasakeh prison, and the overall conflict in Syria. We condemn all forms of torture or inhumane treatment against all prisoners. We are especially concerned about the children held captive and the grave human rights violations they allegedly suffer from. Children should be protected against all forms of violence, and it should be ensured that their fundamental right to safety and dignity is protected. GICJ calls on the international community to provide assistance to the captive children and to evacuate them to their countries of origin immediately.
Justice, Human Rights, Geneva, geneva4justice, GICJ, Geneva International Centre For Justice
[1] https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/syria-un-expert-urges-states-save-their-boys-caught-isil-prison-attack
