Syria regime arrests survivors of sunken boat from Lebanon over alleged security issues

Syrian authorities have arrested some of the survivors of a sunken boat, following the incident which has resulted in the deaths of over 100 asylum seekers last week.

The boat – which carried around 150 refugees of Syrian, Palestinian and Lebanese nationalities – set out from Lebanon last week before encountering problems and sinking off the Syrian coast around Tartous. The death toll today rose to 102, while dozens remain missing.

Syrian authorities have been conducting search and rescue operations, which have recovered 20 survivors. Their rescue has seemingly not guaranteed their safety, however.

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According to the London-based Action Group For Palestinians of Syria (AGPS), “special sources” confirmed to it that some of the survivors of Syrian and Palestinian nationalities were arrested by the security forces of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime on the pretence of security and Investigations.

The AGPS quoted a Facebook page named Aleppo Eyewitness as reporting that it had acquired information from inside the Al-Basel Hospital in Tartous, confirming the security arrests.

Other media sources and outlets have also reported that the individuals arrested were intercepted as they are meant to be conscripted into the Syrian military, as well as that they are under scrutiny due to the fact that they were refugees in Lebanon and chose not to return to Syria voluntarily.