The Syrian Human Rights Committee has been informed by direct contact with the Kurdish Website (Kobani) and by other local sources, that the Syrian Kurdish citizen Khalil Mustafa, son of Mohammad Sharif, has been arrested in Aleppo on eighth of August 2003. Nobody, including his closest relatives knew the real reason behind his arrest. He has been tortured for two days and according to a medical report, he died on tenth of August 2003 due to critical injuries on his body.

On Saturday the sixteenth of August 2003, at 9 a.m., the people of “Maktalah” village woke up to find their village surrounded by many military and intelligent security members. The village is only few miles away from “Ein Al-Arab” (Kobani), and the local people were prevented from going in and out their village. 

SHRC has learnt also that it was not allowed to bury the body of Khalil Mustafa in his village, but it was buried in Aleppo under the direct supervision of the Military Intelligence elements and the Assyrian Neighbourhood Security Branch. 

The source of the news has confirmed that the citizen Khalil Mustafa has been killed under torture, his left eye was gauged, his nose was broken, and also his hands and legs were broken from several places. Even his genitals were cut off and he was badly tortured. 

SHRC would like to express its shock for this horrific news, and demands the Syrian authorities to launch investigation on this extremely dangerous incident, and bring immediately to justice those who are responsible for the torture and killing of the Syrian citizen Khalil Mustafa. 

SHRC also condemns the continuous procedure of torturing in the Syrian prisons, the victims of which are the political detainees and the prisoner of conscience. 

SHRC urges all Syrians and human rights organizations to express their absolute rejection to all ways of suppression and torture which are still widely practiced by various intelligence apparatus against the prisoners and detainees, especially that the government still provides legal protection to members of intelligence services who commit such horrific crimes.