Syrian authorities have released 126 minors from al-Aqtan Prison, located in Raqqa, northeastern Syria. The release follows the government’s recent acquisition of the prison from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), according to state media reports.
State television broadcast images of families gathering to welcome the released minors. The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) published a list of names of individuals remaining in the prison to facilitate online searches by their relatives.
According to Syrian state television, the 126 released individuals were all under the age of 18 and had been held at al-Aqtan Prison, which was reportedly used to detain individuals associated with the Islamic State group.
Syria’s Minister of Information, Hamza al-Mustafa, commented on the release via social media, stating, “These children are not merely detainees; they are sons and daughters whose childhood moments have been stolen. They should have been in schools and playgrounds, not behind prison walls. Each face carries a story of fear, separation, and lost innocence.”
Al-Mustafa emphasized that no justification, slogan, or security rationale could explain a child’s presence in a prison cell. He added that even raising the question is a wound to the conscience of humanity. The Minister described the scene of the minors leaving al-Aqtan Prison as a moment of relief mixed with regret, stating, “Relief that they are finally free, and regret that they were there in the first place.”
Presidential Advisor for Media Affairs, Ahmed Muwafaq Zaidan, described the SDF’s detention of the minors as a “complete scandal.” In a social media post, Zaidan stated that these groups “claim modernity, secularism, and the rule of law… By what right do they kidnap and imprison the innocence of children? This is what happened in the SDF prisons.”
The SDF has withdrawn from significant areas in northern and eastern Syria in recent days, coinciding with the advancement of government forces in those regions. The Syrian Army and relevant security agencies have taken full control of al-Aqtan prison and its facilities.
Last Sunday, President Ahmed al-Share signed a ceasefire agreement with the SDF, which stipulates the integration of its members into government institutions.
