Assad Regime Detains 11 Former Civil Defense Volunteers in Rural Homs

ARK News: Local activists said that the Assad regime’s security forces were cracking down on all those who previously worked with humanitarian and service institutions in the liberated areas despite Russian pledges to protect those who agreed to enter into settlement agreements with the regime.

Activists in northern rural Homs said that Assad regime forces on Thursday raided houses of former elements of the Syrian Civil Defense and rounded up 11 volunteers.

In a similar incident, the Assad regime’s security services detained two former members of the Free Syrian Army and former head of the local council in the town of Al-Harra in rural Dara’a on Thursday. The arrests came despite pledges by Russia to protect those who agree to enter into settlement agreements with the Assad regime in return for being allowed to stay in their areas.

The Syrian Coalition said that these arrests exposed the falsity of the Russian claims of giving guarantees to former regime opponents as these guarantees proved to be empty and worthless.

The Coalition said that these arrests proved that Russia did not have the ability to rein in the actions of the Assad regime and its allied foreign militias as well as exposed the dark side of the Russia role in Syria.

The Assad regime forces are carrying out constant raids to detain civilians in the towns and villages of northern rural Homs which fell to regime forces in mid-May. The arrests are being made on various charges, including communicating with relatives who were displaced to northern Syria and concealing weapons.
Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department

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