-
Call for Immediate Disclosure of the Fate of Lawyer Malek Mahmoud Al-Jouh
In early September 2025, Syrian government forces detained lawyer Malek Mahmoud Al-Jouh, Vice Chairman of the Board of "Syriatel" (born 1980). Since that time, his family has been unable to learn his whereabouts or communicate with him.
Lawyer Malek was appointed Vice Chairman of "Syriatel" at the beginning of 2025, having previously served as the Chief Legal Advisor at "MTN". His detention was carried out without an arrest warrant, and his family was prohibited from contact or appointing a lawyer to defend him. Up to the moment of issuing this statement, no information has been released about the authority to which he was taken or any charges against him.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights continues to conduct intensive investigations into the case, including gathering testimonies, information, and relevant evidence. We urge anyone with details that could clarify the circumstances of the incident to provide them in order to shed light on his fate.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights strongly condemns the arbitrary detention of lawyer Malek Mahmoud Al-Jouh and considers it a grave violation of international human rights law. Additionally, depriving him of contact with his family and lawyer, and failing to disclose his whereabouts, constitutes a flagrant breach of fair trial guarantees.
Detaining lawyer Malek Mahmoud Al-Jouh without a judicial order or charges, and without informing his family of his whereabouts, constitutes arbitrary detention according to the standards of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, and is a violation of Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Furthermore, failing to inform the detainee of his location and depriving him of contact with a lawyer or family contravenes fundamental guarantees of fair trial outlined in Articles 9 and 14 of the International Covenant, constituting a form of unlawful detention.
