Alkarama has direct consent from the family of the disappeared to submit this communication form to the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances on their behalf and will be able to provide follow up by conveying information between the family and the Working Group.
- INFORMATION CONCERNING THE disappeared person
(a) *Family name(s): Al Rifai (الرفاعي)
(b) * Given names(s): Abdul Rahman (عبد الرحمن)
(c) Pseudonyms or other forms besides given name, by which he or she may be known:
(d) Sex: Male
(e) Occupation/profession: Blacksmith
(f) Father’s name: Ghazwan Mother’s name: Fatat Al Khabaz
(g) Date of birth: 1984
(h) Place and country of birth: Homs, Syria
(i) Was the person below 18 years-old at the moment of the disappearance? No
(j) Identity document (passport, national identity card, voter’s card or any other relevant national identity card)
Type: Other
Number: Family card
Date of issue:
Place and country of issue: Secretariat of the Civil Registry in Homs
(k) Nationality or nationalities: Syrian
(l) Address of usual residence: Homs- Bab Al Masdood district near mosque Dahyah Al Kalbi.
(m) Any other place of residence at the moment of the disappearance
(n) Marital status: Married
(o) Indigenous: No
(p) Pregnant: No
- INFORMATION CONCERNING THE FACTS
(a) * Date of arrest, abduction or disappearance (at least month and year)
14 November 2012.
(b) * Place of arrest, abduction or where the disappearance occurred (be as precise as possible. Indicate street, city, province or any other relevant information)
At a checkpoint at the roundabout in Tadmor, in Homs Governorate.
(c) * Date when the person was last seen (at least month and year), if different from date of arrest or abduction (for example: if seen in a prison months after the initial arrest or abduction)
(d) * Place where the person was last seen (if different from place of arrest or abduction. For example: if seen in a prison months after the initial arrest or abduction. Please, be as precise as possible. Indicate street, city, province or any other relevant information)
(e) Please, provide a full description of how the disappearance took place (attach one page if necessary. Please note that, although this is not a required element, providing a description as detailed as possible of the circumstances of the disappearance will enhance the possibilities to find the person)
On 23 November 2012, Mr Abdul Rahman Al-Rifai was traveling back home with his mother and his two children on a bus from Damascus when members of Military Security stopped them at a checkpoint at the roundabout in Tadmor, in the Governorate of Homs. As Mr Abdul Rahman Al-Rifai’s name was similar to someone the Syrian Army was looking for, he was asked to get off the bus. His mother was told he would be released in two days, but they did not show any arrest warrant and, to date, Mr Abdul Rahman Al-Rifai’s fate and whereabouts remain unknown.
(f) * State or State-supported forces believed to be responsible for the disappearance. If the perpetrators are believed to be State agents, please specify and indicate who and why they are believed to be responsible. Be as precise as possible (military, police, persons in uniform or civilian clothes, agents of security services, unit to which they belong, rank and functions, identifications presented, etc.)
Military Security.
(g) If identification as State agents is not possible, please indicate why you believe that Government authorities, or persons linked to them, may be responsible for the incident
(h) If there are witnesses to the incident, please provide their names and relation to the victim. If they wish to remain anonymous, indicate if they are relatives, by-standers, or others. If there is evidence, please specify.
(i) Additional Information on the case. Please indicate any other relevant information that could be useful to find the person
- INFORMATION CONCERNING ACTIONS TAKEN AFTER THE DISAPPEARANCE
* Indicate any action taken (police inquiries, jail, human rights commission, habeas corpus petition etc.) taken by the relatives or others to locate the person. You are required to state the following: when, by whom, and before which organ the actions were taken.
(a) Complaints (when, by whom, and before which organ/s)
(b) Other steps taken (when, by whom, and before which organ/s)
Worried about his fate, Mr Abdul Rahman Al-Rifai’s mother went to the police station of Qalamoun and then to Adra prison, but with no results. The family’s lawyer, who is also Mr Abdul Rahman Al-Rifai’s aunt, also inquired in Homs province, but no information could be found on Mr Abdul Rahman Al-Rifai’s fate and whereabouts.
(c) If no action was taken, please explain why
- PERSON OR ORGANISATION SUBMITTING THE COMMUNICATION
* Person submitting the communication
(a) Family name: MESLI
(b) First name: Rachid
(c)Relationship with the disappeared person: Mandated by the family of the victim to submit the case.
(d) Contact details (address, telephone, fax, email): Alkarama Foundation
150 route de Ferney,
C.P 2100, 1211 Genève 2
Switzerland
Tel: +41(0) 22 734 10 06
Fax: +41(0) 22 545 76 55
Email: geneva@alkarama.org
** Organization submitting the communication (if applicable)
(e) Contact details (address, telephone, fax, email):
Alkarama Foundation
150 route de Ferney,
C.P 2100,1211 Genève 2
Switzerland
Tel: +41(0) 22 734 10 06
Fax: +41(0) 22 545 76 55
Email: geneva@alkarama.org
Human Rights Guardians (حماة حقوق الانسان)
Feuzi paṣa CD, k16,
Antakya, Hatay, Turkey
Tel. 0090 535 836 55 30
Email: hr.guardians@gmail.com
- confidentiality request
Yes, keep my identity confidential: _____ No request for confidentiality: X
* Date: 16/03/2015 Place: Geneva
* Signature of author:
Me Rachid Mesli Me Amal Al Naasan
Director, Legal department, Alkarama President, Human Rights Guardians