Syria has opened an investigation into the death of Mohammed Gamira, a former rescue worker with the 'White Helmets' group, who died in a hospital over the weekend after 72 hours of detention at the Haffeh police station in Latakia province.
Protests have been called in Latakia for Monday, with nationwide demonstrations planned for Tuesday. Gamira, a father of two, is accused by his family of being ignored by security officers over warnings of his chronic hemophilia, and of suffering severe physical abuse leading to massive internal bleeding, including cerebral hemorrhage.
The Latakia Security Command said the investigation will examine the circumstances during Gamira's detention, whether procedures complied with legal regulations, and whether the victim's health condition was taken into account. Interior Minister Anas Khattab expressed condolences to Gamira's family and pledged to deal firmly with any violations by Ministry of Interior personnel, stating, 'Anyone responsible will be punished appropriately, no matter who they are, once the investigation is completed.'
The case has raised deep concerns among the Syrian public, who witnessed over 200,000 deaths in prisons under former President Bashar al-Assad, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The notorious Sednaya prison near Damascus has been called a 'human slaughterhouse' by human rights groups, with abuses considered crimes against humanity.
Under President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led the campaign to oust al-Assad, establishing the rule of law remains a core challenge. Many Syrians had hoped that with the fall of the old regime, torture and mistreatment in detention centers would also end, but the backlash over Gamira's death shows concerns about continued abuse, albeit not to the same extent as before.
