Syrian authorities release 126 minors from al-Ukdan prison

SadaNews - The Syrian authorities announced on Saturday the release of at least 126 minors who were being held in al-Ukdan prison in Raqqa, northeastern Syria, after the government took control of the prison from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) under an agreement between the two sides, according to official media reports.

Photos broadcast by state television showed a gathering of families welcoming the released minors, while the Syrian news agency (SANA) published the names of those still inside the prison to facilitate searches for them online.

Syrian television reported the release of "126 detainees under the age of 18 from al-Ukdan prison," which had been used to detain members of the Islamic State organization.

Commenting on the release of the minors from prison, Information Minister Hamza Mustafa stated on his "X" platform account that "these children are not just detainees, but sons and daughters whose moments of childhood have been stolen from them, and they should have been in schools and playgrounds, not behind prison walls; each of their faces tells a story of fear, separation, and lost innocence."

Mustafa emphasized that there is no slogan, justification, or security reason that can explain the presence of a child in a cell, considering that merely reiterating this question is a wound to the conscience of humanity.

The Information Minister described the scene of the minors exiting al-Ukdan prison as a moment of relief mixed with sorrow; because it is "relief for their exit at last, and sorrow that they were found there from the beginning."

For his part, the presidential advisor for media affairs, Ahmad Mofaq Zidan, considered the detention of minors by the SDF to be a "complete scandal."

Zidan stated in a post on his "X" account that these "gangs boast of modernity, secularism, and law... by what guilt do they abduct and imprison the innocence of children!!! This is what happened in SDF prisons."

The SDF had withdrawn - in recent days - from vast areas in northern and eastern Syria, coinciding with the advance of government forces in those regions.

On Sunday evening, Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara signed a ceasefire agreement with the SDF that involves integrating its elements into government institutions.

Under the agreement, the Syrian army and relevant security bodies take full control of al-Ukdan prison along with all its facilities, including the section that holds detainees from the "Islamic State organization," ensuring their management according to Syrian laws.

Two days later, the Syrian presidency announced reaching a mutual understanding with the SDF that lays out mechanisms for broad military, administrative, and political integration, which began to be implemented at 8 PM local time on the same day.

As part of the agreed-upon security arrangements, the transfer of Kurdish fighters from al-Ukdan prison to the city of Ain al-Arab (Kobani) in the Aleppo countryside began on Friday.

SANA reported that the Syrian army stated that the transfer of al-Ukdan prisoners is "the first step to implement the January 18 Agreement, where the Ministry of Interior will receive the prison and manage it."

Source: AFP