Man Missing During East Aleppo Evacuation

The fate and whereabouts of Abdulhadi Kamel remain unknown. He was last seen being driven away in an ambulance on 16 December 2016 after being injured by Syrian government forces who intercepted the evacuation convoy in which he was leaving east Aleppo.

Abdulhadi Kamel, 26, went missing in western Aleppo on 16 December 2016, during the evacuation of civilians from eastern Aleppo. A close relative was in the convoy with Abdulhadi Kamel when Syrian government forces stopped the car and asked the men to step out. Government forces then began to fire shots into the air, resulting in Abdulhadi Kamel and others being injured by stray bullets. According to the relative, an ambulance took the injured, including Abdulhadi Kamel, to a hospital at an unknown location. Abdulhadi remains missing.

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We urge the President of Syria @Presidency_Sy to secure the release of Abdulhadi Kamel – Take action now!

On 5 January, Abdulhadi Kamel appeared in a video filmed in an unknown location and posted on YouTube by ANNA news, an Abkhazian news agency. In the video Abdulhadi Kamel is seen confessing to working as a volunteer with The White Helmets (also known as the Syria Civil Defence), which he claimed is a fake rescue organization. Abdulhadi Kamel’s family believe his confession to be forced as there was no evidence to link him to The White Helmets; he was not wearing, nor in possession of, their uniform nor anything else that would tie him to them.

Please write immediately in Arabic, English or your own language:

  • Urging the Syrian authorities to immediately disclose the fate and whereabouts of Abdulhadi Kamel;
  • Calling on them to release him immediately, unless he is to be charged with a recognizable offence, in line with international law and standards;
  • Urging them to ensure that, pending his release, he is protected from torture and any other ill-treatment, granted access to his families and lawyers, and any medical treatment he may require.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 3 MARCH 2017 TO:

Permanent Representative to the UNBashar Ja’afari,
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

820 Second Avenue, 15th FloorNew York, NY 10017, USA
Fax: +1 212 983 4439
E-mail: [email protected]
Salutation: Your Excellency

PresidentBashar al-Assad
Fax: +963 11 332 3410 (keep trying)
(If fax does not go through, please include your message to the president in an email to the Ambassador, asking for it to be forwarded)
Salutation: Your Excellency 

And copies to:

Minister of Defence
General Fahd Jassem al-FreijFax: +963 11 223 7842 (keep trying)
+963 11 666 2460 (keep trying)
(If fax does not go through, please include your message to the Minister of Defence in an email to the Ambassador, asking for it to be forwarded)
Salutation: Your Excellency