Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria Official Suspected in Recent ‘Honor Killing’
Washington, DC: March 14, 2024
On February 29th, 2024, SJAC received a report from its Documentation Team of an ‘honor killing’ which occurred on February 23rd in the town of Tell Tawil in Al-Hassakah Governorate. The victim, Rithaa Mahmoud Alsalman, was accused of committing adultery and subsequently murdered by members of her family with the approval of an official working for the Autonomous Administration.
“Member of the Senate and Deputy President of the Conservatives Party with the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) Akram Hajo Almahshoosh, hosted deliberations in his home on the fate of the victim, Rithaa Alsalman,” said the Syria Justice and Accountability Center in a press release today.
Details collected by SJAC’s investigators from members of the victim’s family confirm that Akram Almahshoosh was among those advocating for her murder. His involvement in this crime is particularly reprehensible, given both his position and because he was a member of the sub-committee tasked with drafting the Autonomous Administration’s “social contract,” which criminalized all "types of violence, discrimination and exploitation of women.”
To their credit, the AANES has since arrested two uncles of the victim who are implicated in the crime, Abdulrahman Alsalman and Ahmad Alsalman. However, Akram Almahshoosh has, at the time of this release, faced no repercussions for his part in the murder of Rithaa Alsalman. What’s more, he is reportedly advocating for both men’s early release. As a member of the AANES, he must be held accountable for these actions which violate the Administration’s social contract, as well as Syrian national law, and international human rights law.
“If Almahshoosh is allowed to retain his position and avoid prosecution, it sends a message that the Administration does not abide by its own laws or the promises it has made to protect the human rights of Syrians,” said Mohammad Al-Abdallah. “The Administration must take immediate steps to implement a full and transparent investigation, ensure all perpetrators of this crime are held accountable, and send a strong message that the practice of ‘honor killings’ in its territory must end.”
###
The Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC) is a Syrian civil society organization working towards a Syrian state defined by justice, respect for human rights, and the rule of law, where citizens from all components of Syrian society live in peace without fear. Its mission is to promote justice and accountability in Syria by ensuring that human rights violations are comprehensively documented, and that documentation data is securely preserved, cataloged, and analyzed to advance transitional justice and peacebuilding.
For more information in English, please contact:
Michael Ader
Communications Officer
Cell: +1-801-970-3065
For inquiries in Arabic and English, please contact:
Mohammad Al-Abdallah
Executive Director
Cell Phone: +1-202-704-3215