The number of arrests, kidnappings and assassinations has increased rapidly, most notably those targeting the activist "Raed Al-Fares" in the city of Karanbel in the countryside of Idlib; as the Syrian Human Rights Network blamed Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS).

According to multiple reports, in the province of Idlib during the month of October had seen 90 failed assassination attempts, while there is no official number of kidnappings, especially as many families refuse to announce the disappearance of their children, for fear of risk and decide to pay ransom for their release.

Recently, some medical and media personnel have begun searching for ways to leave the North areas towards Turkish territory or the "Euphrates" area north and east of Aleppo in search of a safer area for them.

Assassinations and detentions affecting active individuals in the North

In the past 50 days, Idlib has witnessed several arbitrary arrests and abductions of medical, humanitarian and service personnel, most of them by Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) and the Government of Salvation, according to field sources and human rights reports. The most prominent of these incidents were the assassination of two media activists in the city of Kafranbel.

On the morning of November 23, the activist "Raed Al-Fares" and the photographer "Hammoud Junaid" were shot directly by masked gunmen in the city of Kafranbel; which led to their immediate death. The Syrian Human Rights Network suggested the involvement of HTS in the incident. The Human Right report confirmed that the activists were subjected to attempts to arrest and assassinate several times in the past due to their activities and management of several civil and awareness projects, and their frequent criticism of tyranny and "extremist organizations", which made them a strategic target of these organizations.

Among the cases of arbitrary arrest against human cadres, on November 19, an aid official works in the organization of "Violet", Abd al-Razzaq Awad, was arrested by the Government of Salvation-affiliate Tahrir Al-Sham. He was detained for two weeks, and then they decided to release him to prove his innocence. He described the charges against him as "malicious and personal claims", while others considered that the purpose of the detention is to pressure the organization to obtain a percentage of funds allocated to projects; as HTS forces the organizations to pay money and fees on the humanitarian materials the bring to Idlib.

Among the incidents targeting cadres, the assassination of Judge "Munir Abdel Hamid Kamel," who works in the court of Afrin on 2 December, where he was shot directly in front of his house in the village of "Tal'ada" in northern countryside of Idlib.

On Wednesday, December 5, a security force of Tahrir Al-Sham arrested "Ali Haj Dibo", head of Tal Hadya Local Council in rural Aleppo, for unknown reasons; where "Haj Dibo" is a known figure in the town and one of the first participants in the Syrian revolution, especially in the Local Council of Southern Aleppo countryside.

On 2 December, the Central Security Force in Idlib, affiliated to the HTS Sham, arrested Dr. Abdo Najjar while he was going to work at Deir Hassan Hospital in the governorate. The Federation of Relief and Medical Care Organizations condemned the incident and blamed the kidnappers for any damage to the doctor demanding to release him and stop doing such operations.

Unknown kidnappers have already released doctors who abducted them after paying large sums of money, as the doctor, Mahmoud al-Mutlaq was released last year in June for a ransom of more than 120,000 US dollars.

Concerns about the region's loss of medical and media personnel

Arbitrary arrests, kidnappings and assassinations have prompted many activists and medical workers to seek alternative areas to go to maintain their lives and pursue their activities.

The network "Nedaa Syria" learned that about 5 journalists and humanitarian activists decided to leave Idlib with their families and to go to Turkish territory through smugglers, after failing to convince the management of the Bab al-Salama border crossing "Turkish side" to allow them to cross.

One of the activists, who comes from the city of Aleppo and was among those trapped in over there said to "Nedaa Syria": He decided to leave the province of Idlib and its countryside with his family with an emphasis on not returning to it in light of the situation remains unchanged, pointing out that his current destination is Turkish territory, in the event of failure to pass, stability will take place either in the city of Al-Bab or Jarablus.

He said that he would not leave the region alone, but would be accompanied by a number of activists and their families. The main reason was their fear of arrest, assassination or even being kidnapped for ransom, considering that he could no longer speak or criticize. If he conducts any activity that contravenes the policy of the Salvation Government or Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham, he shall be summoned immediately.

The activist expressed his sadness to leave the region, saying that millions of civilians, whether indigenous or displaced, are in dire need of medical, humanitarian and media personnel to deliver their voice and provide services. Any imbalance in the work of these cadres will negatively affect the region and increase the suffering of its inhabitants.

The activist said that the process of targeting cadres may be deliberate and aim to end any humanitarian and revolutionary activity outside the control of "local authorities," in reference to "HTS," which seeks to impose its rule and control to be the Government of Salvation established by the "de facto government, .

The Syrian painter "Ahmed Jalal" decided to turn a blind eye in the province of Idlib, after the members of Tahrir Al-Sham to arrest him because he was very close to "Raed Al-Fares" and to accuse it of being behind the assassinations and arrests of activists in the province.

Condemnations and warnings of disastrous consequences for the region

The Union of Relief and Medical Care Organizations (UOSSM) considered that the continued abduction of medical personnel constitutes a major threat to medical work in the North Syrian region. The continuation of this form will have catastrophic consequences on the humanitarian level, while the Syrian NGO Coalition declared its condemnation of the arrests and targeting of humanitarian workers.

The Coalition considered targeting humanitarian workers in the north of Syria to be a major challenge in the face of humanitarian action, and it is getting worse day after day as a result of the insecurity status, calling for the immediate release of the detainees, stopping the targeting of humanitarian workers and controlling the security situation, Of humanitarian action.

For its part, the #Response_Coordination_Group stressed that the repeated targeting of humanitarian and medical personnel in the north of Syria will cause more organizations to refrain from providing humanitarian assistance to the civilian population. It stressed the need to respect humanitarian law by all, and seek to protect workers and avoid any targeting operations .

USAID suspended its medical support in Idlib because of the fees imposed on its agents, especially at the HTS-held Bab al-Hawa border crossing, but decided to resume support, taking into account a series of conditions, most notably: no extortion or financial charges.

Earlier, the Turkish Religious Endowment Foundation (Waqef) froze its work in the (Iman and Aisha) camps in protest against the actions of the Government of Salvation-affiliate "Department of Displacement" and its seizure of the camp.

Conclusion:

More than 3.5 million people live in the governorate of Idlib, some of whom are displaced from the villages of Damascus, Homs, Daraa and Aleppo.

The area is considered the last port to the evacuees after the regime deported them.

However, according to field reports and opinion polls, most residents fear to do any activity either in economic or family terms; they see the region as unstable, and there are no real steps by any actors on the ground to end or at least reduce the state of security chaos.

Writer Editorial Board Source Nedaa Syria