The family of Syrian 16-year-old Ahmed Ismael al-‘Akkad were told in early August that he had died in a military hospital.

Ahmed Ismael al-‘Akkad had been held incommunicado since 20 November 2012, when he was arrested during raids by government forces on his neighbourhood, al-Midan, in the capital, Damascus. His family did not know where he had been taken but received a note from him about 40 days later, apparently smuggled by released detainees, saying he was being held at the Palestine branch, a Damascus detention centre run by Military Intelligence.

According to a local contact, an investigating judge from the Anti-Terrorism Court decided on 12 June 2013 to refer him to a juvenile criminal court in Damascus, where he was expected to appear within two days. Ahmed Ismael al-‘Akkad did not appear in this court and contacts believed that he could have been held at the Military Intelligence branch in the Damascus suburb of Qaboun, though his whereabouts remained unconfirmed. Around mid-June he was believed to have been transferred to a military hospital, for reasons unknown.

The same local contact told Amnesty International that Ahmed Ismael al-‘Akkad’s relatives were asked by Military Intelligence officers to pick up his personal items around early August, and were then informed that he had died in the military hospital.

Amnesty International has so far been unable to obtain further information about Ahmed Ismael al-‘Akkad’s death or the reasons for his initial hospitalization but will continue to follow this case.

No further action is requested from the UA network. Many thanks to all who sent appeals.

This is the second update of UA 106/13. Further information: http://amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE24/036/2013/en

Name: Ahmed Ismael al-‘Akkad

Gender m/f: m