Geneva – The death of the young man, Ahmed Al-Ayada Al-Dayeh, in a detention centre operated by the Internal Security in Deir ez-Zor in eastern Syria is deeply concerning.
Available information indicates that he may have been subjected to torture and ill-treatment during his detention, making his death a suspected custodial death that requires an urgent, independent, impartial, transparent, and effective investigation. Such an investigation must establish the circumstances of his death, identify all those responsible or negligent, make its findings public, and ensure accountability through fair judicial proceedings.
A patrol from the Internal Security Forces arrested Al-Dayeh from his home in the town of Al-Harmushiyah in western rural Deir ez-Zor between 19 and 24 March. He was taken to a detention centre without a warrant, without being informed of the reasons for his arrest or any specific charges against him, and without access to legal safeguards.
The recurrence of custodial deaths without transparency or accountability is a deeply alarming indicator of the continued violation of the right to life and the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment
Al-Dayeh's body was handed over to his family approximately one month after his arrest under circumstances that strongly suggest an unnatural death in custody. These circumstances raise serious concerns about possible torture or other forms of ill-treatment, as well as attempts to conceal the circumstances of his death or suppress potential evidence rather than subject the case to an urgent investigation.
According to local sources, Al-Dayeh's family was informed of his death on 21 April, despite indications that he may have died only two days after his arrest. His body reportedly remained in a morgue refrigerator during that period, raising serious concerns about a deliberate delay in notifying the family and returning the body. Such a delay may have undermined independent verification of the cause of death and heightened concerns about the concealment of evidence of possible torture or ill-treatment, while also violating the family's right to know the truth without delay.
After reviewing photographs of Al-Dayeh's body following its return to his family, the Euro-Med Monitor team observed visible bruises and haematomas on various parts of his body. These findings raise serious concerns that he may have been subjected to torture or other forms of ill-treatment during his detention.
Determining the nature and cause of these marks, and whether they resulted from injuries sustained before or after death, cannot rely on security narratives or unpublished reports. It requires an independent and credible forensic medical examination conducted as part of an impartial and effective investigation aimed at establishing the cause of death, preserving evidence, and ensuring accountability.
Several reports attributed to Syrian security sources claimed that Al-Dayeh died of a "heart attack" following his arrest on security-related allegations. However, this explanation is insufficient in the absence of an independent and publicly disclosed forensic report clarifying the cause of death, the nature of the visible bruises, and the reasons for the delay in notifying the family and returning the body.
Custodial deaths, particularly when accompanied by visible injuries and delays in disclosure, require a complete, documented, and verifiable official account rather than broad statements that fail to clarify the circumstances. A serious and thorough investigation is therefore necessary to uncover the truth.
The nature of the accusations against Al-Dayeh, whether related to security matters, alleged affiliation with the former regime, or any other claims, does not diminish his absolute protection from torture or other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, nor his entitlement to the fundamental legal safeguards guaranteed to all detainees. This protection is non-derogable under any circumstances. Security or political considerations do not grant law enforcement authorities any discretion to evade their obligations to respect human dignity, safeguard the physical and psychological integrity of detainees, ensure their procedural rights, and hold accountable anyone responsible for torture, ill-treatment, or death in custody.
Al-Dayeh's case does not appear to be isolated. Independent reports have documented the deaths of at least five individuals since the beginning of 2026 in prisons and detention centres in Syria, amid a lack of sufficient and credible official explanations and no announcement of serious investigations to determine the causes of death and assign responsibility.
The recurrence of custodial deaths without transparency or accountability is a deeply alarming indicator of the continued violation of the right to life and the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment. It also risks perpetuating entrenched patterns of impunity that have long characterised detention practices in Syria.
Any genuine transitional process must be grounded in effective legal and judicial oversight of security agencies and detention facilities, and in ensuring protection for all detainees, including their rights to life, dignity, and physical and psychological integrity, as well as full access to the procedural safeguards guaranteed by law and the new constitutional declaration.
Article 18 of the Constitutional Declaration of the Syrian Arab Republic explicitly protects human dignity and prohibits torture and enforced disappearance without exception. It also affirms that crimes of torture are not subject to a statute of limitations and requires that any arrest be based on a judicial decision. These provisions impose a clear legal obligation on the authorities to ensure the safety of detainees, rendering any failure to uphold these guarantees, particularly in cases of custodial death, subject to legal accountability.
The lack of transparency in such incidents and the failure to conduct independent and effective investigations into custodial deaths undermine public confidence in legal processes and entrench impunity. They also contravene obligations under international human rights law, particularly the duty of states to carry out prompt, thorough, and effective investigations into any death occurring in custody or in circumstances where the individual was under state control, ensuring the determination of the cause and circumstances of death, the identification of those responsible, and accountability for all who are implicated or negligent.
The Syrian government must immediately open a serious and independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Ahmed Al-Ayada Al-Dayeh in custody, covering all stages of his arrest, transfer, and detention, as well as the conditions preceding and following his death, including the reasons for the delayed notification of his family and the handover of his body. The investigation must ensure full access to detention records, medical files, surveillance recordings, and testimony from detention centre staff, preserve all relevant evidence, and make its key findings public without compromising due process or the family's rights.
All those responsible must be held accountable, whether through direct action, orders, concealment, or negligence, for any violations suffered by Al-Dayeh, including arbitrary detention, denial of legal safeguards, torture or ill-treatment, or the concealment or delay in disclosing information about his death. Any prosecutions must be carried out through fair and independent judicial proceedings.
Urgent measures must be adopted to prevent the recurrence of such incidents by placing all prisons and detention facilities under regular and effective judicial and institutional oversight. Independent monitoring bodies must be granted unhindered access to detention sites to assess conditions and receive confidential complaints, while ensuring protection from retaliation or intimidation for complainants, families, and witnesses.
Euro-Med Monitor calls on the Syrian authorities to ensure that all detainees are afforded basic safeguards from the moment of arrest, including immediate notification of the reasons for detention, access to legal counsel and contact with their families, prompt appearance before a competent judicial authority, and the official recording of detention locations and health status in verifiable registers. Detention in undisclosed locations or outside judicial oversight must be strictly prohibited.
The adoption of a strict and publicly declared zero-tolerance policy toward torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment is essential. This must include clear and binding instructions to all security agencies, the suspension of any personnel suspected of involvement in torture, ill-treatment, or death in custody pending investigation, and mandatory training on the legal standards governing the treatment of detainees.
Families of detainees must be informed without delay of their relatives' whereabouts and legal and health status. Authorities must ensure immediate notification of death in custody or any serious deterioration in health, the prompt release of bodies without unjustified delay, and a credible investigation into the causes and circumstances of death. Families must be allowed to participate in monitoring proceedings and to access key findings, in respect of their rights to truth, dignity, and justice.
