AI: Syria must reveal fate of missing child feared to be at risk of torture
Ahmed Ismael al-‘Akkad’s family have not been told anything about his fate or whereabouts since his arrest on 20 November 2012. His family received a smuggled note from the teenager 40 days later, in which he said his health was deteriorating due to cramped and humid prison conditions and a lack of medication for his asthma.
“They must also ensure he is protected from the systematic torture or other ill-treatment we know occurs in Syrian prisons. More than 1,000 detainees are reported to have died in custody since March 2011, most apparently from the effects of torture or other ill-treatment. This tidal wave of death must be stopped." "If he is held solely for the peaceful exercise of his rights to freedom of expression and assembly, he should be released immediately and unconditionally."
The reasons for Ahmed Ismael al-‘Akkad’s arrest are unclear. Syrian government forces have arrested thousands of people, including children, since widespread unrest broke out in March 2011.
Many, if not most, detainees have been subjected to torture and other ill-treatment in prisons and detention centres run by Syria’s feared security agencies.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/child-missing-syria-2013-04-26
Best of luck to this teenager.
