Informed sources said that scores of Syrian youth drowned lately in the Syrian regional waters opposite Lattakia shore. Most of the corpses that were found came from Idlib, they were found deformed on the shore and victims were identified by marks on their bodies.
 
It was thought that they were victims of blackmail from a number of persons, who convinced them via a broker from the village of Khan Al Sablaho from the family of Bakir that they can be transported to Cyprus for a sum of money to work there, due to the spread of unemployment in Syria. It was agreed that the money would be entrusted at the broker’s and to be paid to the traffickers only upon safe transportation. The traffickers were criminal gangs from Lattakia. It was thought that the victims were drowned deliberately about 30 km into the Syrian waters, the broker was found murdered by bullets in his head to hide the crime, and the money was not found in his possession.

Those identified among the victims are: Yasser Nawaf al-Othman, AbdelGaffour Walid al-Othman, Qassim Abdullah al-Hajji, Mohammed Khalid Omar Khulaif, Omar Zaidan and Ahmad Hasan.

The Syrian Human Rights Committee (SHRC) condemns this crime and the culprits standing behind it who are supported by security parties and influential families in the Syrian regime and requests the following:
1- To seriously follow up investigating the incident in order to clarify what happened and relay it to the Syrian people especially that the criminals are related to influential elements in the intelligence apparatus and beneficiary persons.
2- To bring the involved culprits to independent and just judiciary.
3- To monitor the criminal gangs spread all over the Syrian coast and dissociate them especially as they enjoy the support of influential families and backed persons in the intelligence and security apparatus.
4-  To take measurements to ensure the citizens’ safety and to stop trading with their lives by such criminal gangs.

Syrian Human Rights Committee
31/10/2008