The monitoring and documentation team of the Action Group for Palestinians in Syria (AGPS) said on Monday in conjunction with the Palestinian Prisoner Day that they were able to document 1183 Palestinians detained in the Syrian regime’s prisons.
The AGPS predicted in a report that the actual number of detainees and torture victims is higher than what it has been announced due to the absence of official statistics from the Syrian regime on one hand and the fear of some detainees’ families to announce the disappearance fearing the reaction of the Syrian security apparatuses.
The AGPS renewed its demand to the Syrian regime to release and disclose the fate of hundreds of Palestinian detainees who are still missing stressing that the torture practiced against the Palestinian detainees inside Syrian prisons is a war crime by all standards.
The Group added that it documented direct detention cases of Palestinians at checkpoints or during incursions and random arrest campaigns conducted by the Syrian regime’s army inside Syrian villages and cities. After the Palestinian citizens are kidnapped it becomes difficult to know their fate. In some cases the security authorities call the family of the detainee to receive his/her dead body from one of the military or government hospitals.
For the second day in a row the Syrian regime’s army continues to block the only road linking between Yarmouk refugee camp and Yalda town south of the Syrian capital Damascus. The road is considered the main outlet for the movement of schoolchildren and the entry of food aid and medicine to the civilians trapped in the camp.
In a different context the Syrian security apparatuses released the Palestinian youth Amjad Hadba a Palestinian refugee living in Homs city after spending two years in captivity.
In the meantime the Syrian regime continues to detain the Palestinian refugee Hamoud al-Masri from Yarmouk refugee camp for the fifth year in a row. The last time his family heard about him was two years ago.
The Palestinian refugees represent a main part of the Syrian society. Before the outbreak of the Syrian revolution their number amounted to half a million who have travel documents special for the Palestinian refugees in Syria. They are based in a number of refugee camps mainly in Yarmouk camp in Damascus.
According to the UN estimates 450000 Palestinian refugees still live in Syria 95% of whom need medical assistance.
On 17th April of each year Palestinians commemorate the Palestinian Prisoner Day which was announced by the Palestinian National Council at its regular session in April 1974.
