Mohammad Maqdah abducted by Syrian forces while trying to find refuge in Lebanon

Mohammad Maqdah abducted by Syrian forces while trying to find refuge in Lebanon

On March 31, 2014, Mohammad Maqdah was arrested at the Lebanese-Syrian border while he and his family were seeking refuge in Lebanon. His fate and whereabouts remain unknown to date.

Three months before Maqdah’s disappearance, he and his family fled from the city of Adra—located in the Eastern Ghouta region under siege by government forces—and found refuge in the Damascus neighbourhood of Al Zahera. Due to well-founded fear of persecution, they decided to then seek refugee status in Lebanon.

On March 31, 2014, Maqdah and his family were stopped at the Lebanon-Syria border crossing when he was arrested by the Syrian Immigration and Passport Department. The rest of the family was allowed to cross the border and enter Lebanon, but Mohammad’s family believes that he was then handed over to the Syrian intelligence.

Three months following his arrest, a family member who had stayed in Syria enquired about his fate and whereabouts at the Mezzeh Military prison and with the military judiciary, but was unable to access any information.

Timeline

October 30, 2019: MENA Rights Group requests intervention of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances.
March 31, 2014: Maqdah is arrested at the Lebanese-Syrian border by members of the Syrian Immigration and Passport Department.