More than half of the Syrian population is displaced as a direct result of war crimes and crimes against humanity overwhelmingly against Syrians by the Syrian regime and its allies. The most destructive pattern of abuse is the indiscriminate arrests and detention by the security services without a charge. The main fears are arbitrary arrests, forced conscription, harassment, forced disappearance, to name some, and a chaotic security situation caused by the presence of forces and various militias.    

SACD surveys has shown that more than a quarter of those interviewed had been detained or had a family member arbitrarily arrested. Of those respondents, 75% had been arrested within the last 18 months. More than 70% of those detained had to pay a bribe to be released.  

Beating and torture are standard practices in detention. Several interviewees’ relatives were taken to unknown locations, after which they were never heard from again. 65% of the respondents in this study (68% of men and 59% of the women interviewed) acknowledged that they do not feel safe in the regime-held areas.

Reconciliation agreements appear to make residents feel less safe. 74% of respondents in areas where the regime control was restored through reconciliation agreements feel unsafe, compared to 64% in areas without such agreements.