SDF releases 20 prisoners from Deir ez-Zor: SOHR

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reports that 20 prisoners from the eastern Deir ez-Zor countryside were released by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who were suspected of links to ISIS.

The individuals were reportedly released from various villages and towns, with some having spent up to four years in detention. Activists, however, have shared a list of 56 names that have been released,

In a separate incident, the SDF released a young man from Al-Jarzy, a town east of Deir ez-Zor. The man had been detained for almost five years on charges of "affiliation with ISIS."

On March 28, the SDF released two other individuals from Gharanij town in Deir ez-Zor, who had been arrested two months earlier on similar charges. An investigation found no evidence to verify the charges.

The SDF is a multi-ethnic coalition of fighters who have played a key role in the fight against ISIS in Syria.

While the SDF have been praised for their efforts to maintain security in areas under their control, they have also faced criticism from some activists for wrongfully detaining suspects during counter-ISIS operations.

The latest report by the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria notes that the SDF continues to detain more than 10,000 suspected ISIS fighters and other men and boys allegedly affiliated with the group across northeast Syria.