Pregnant woman disappeared since arrest by Syrian Army during evacuation from siege in 2013

Pregnant woman disappeared since arrest by Syrian Army during evacuation from siege in 2013

On November 15, 2013, Mariam Ajjan and some of her relatives were arrested by the Syrian Army at a checkpoint in Al Hajar Al Aswad, south of Damascus, while they were trying to evacuate the besieged village of Yalda. Mariam’s fate and whereabouts remain unknown to date. At the time of the arrest, Mariam was pregnant.

Mariam Ajjan was living in the village of Yalda, which, at the time, was under the control of the Free Syrian Army and besieged by the Syrian Army. On November 15, 2013, the Syrian Army agreed to allow the evacuation of all the civilians not directly participating in hostilities. At the time, Mariam was two months pregnant.

On November 15, 2013, while they were trying to evacuate Yalda, Mariam Ajjan and other members of her family were stopped at a checkpoint controlled by the Syrian Army located in in Al Hajar Al Aswad. Members of the Syrian Army, wearing military uniforms, arrested Mariam Ajjan and the other members of the family and took them to an unknown location.

Since her arrest, Mariam Ajjan’s family has gone every year – the last time in May 2019 – to enquire about her fate and whereabouts to the military police station in Qaboun, Damascus Governorate, as well as to the Criminal Court in Damascus, but to no avail.

At the beginning of February 2018, a former detainee informed Mariam Ajjan’s family that they had seen Mariam in one of the detention centres run by the Syrian authorities and that “she was alive”. However, the former detainee did not mention the name of the detention centre for fear of arrest.

 

Timeline

August 22, 2019: MENA Rights Group requests intervention of UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances.
May 2019: Last time family enquires about her fate and whereabouts at Qaboun police station and Damascus Criminal Court, to no avail.
February 2018: Former detainee sees Hanan in unknown detention centre.
October 20, 2013: Arrested by Syrian Army at checkpoint.