Syrian security forces have arrested a man who served in the military security apparatus under former president Bashar al-Assad and is accused of major human rights abuses, as the government continues its crackdown on figures from the regime.
The Interior Ministry said in a statement Friday that the arrest followed a “specialised security operation” carried out after extensive surveillance and intelligence gathering, which led to the arrest of former Maj. Gen. Ali Saleh Diab.
The ministry said security records show that Diab headed the Military Security Branch in Qamishli, northeastern Syria, from 2008 to 2018. It added that his name has been linked to systematic human rights violations and crimes during that period.
It also described him as a close associate of some of the most senior figures in Syria’s security apparatus during Assad’s rule.
Investigations indicate that Diab was responsible for pursuing and arresting large numbers of young men in the northeast Hasakeh province and the city of Qamishli – the province’s capital – before transferring many of them to the infamous Palestine Branch intelligence facility and the Saydnaya Military Prison, the ministry added.
Diab’s arrest comes after the Interior Ministry said it detained Adnan Riyad Hamada, known as “Ibn al-Beik”, in the Damascus countryside.
Days earlier, the ministry also announced the arrest in Aleppo of former Republican Guard Brigadier General Youssef Habib on accusations of involvement in serious abuses against civilians.
Syria’s new authorities have continued to crack down on Assad-era officials accused of committing war crimes and human rights violations against Syrians before and during the country’s civil war, which erupted in 2011 after Assad’s forces violently suppressed anti-government protests.
The conflict drew in foreign militaries and armed groups, killed more than half a million people, displaced millions more, and left large parts of the country in ruins.
Assad’s regime collapsed in December 2024 following a lightning rebel offensive, prompting him and his family to flee to Russia.
Since then, the new administration in Damascus has sought to stabilise the country while grappling with persistent security, economic and humanitarian challenges.
