The so-called security service of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, led by Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, attacked a tent set up by demonstrators demanding the release of detainees a few days ago in front of the so-called Military Court, in the center of Idlib.

Demonstrators from the families of foreign militants, in demand of the release of their relatives detained in the prisons of Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, stormed the building of the Military Court.

The families are demanding information about the fate of their relatives held in the prisons. Coordinating bodies of the militants on social media stated that "the protesting families are demanding the release of detainees of Jordanian, Uzbek, Egyptian, and Turkish nationalities."

Syrian protesters in Ariha City, south of Idlib, convened an open sit-in in the city center on the evening of May 6, in response to a series of arrests carried out by the so-called Security Service of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, led by Abu Mohammad al-Jolani.

The arrests were initiated after a patrol from the so-called "General Security Service" of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham apprehended several protest organizers in the city, charging them with security offenses. Subsequently, demonstrations erupted in Idlib, Jisr al-Shughour, and the villages of Jabal al-Zawiya, demanding al-Jolani's removal and the release of the detainees.

Reportedly, groups of protesters traveled from their towns to Ariha City to express solidarity with those arrested by al-Jolani's security apparatus.

"Security Service" oppresses protesters

Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that the security service personnel confiscated the demonstrators' vehicles and possessions, and assaulted them using knives and live bullets, which caused several injuries. Among those protesting were judges and religious figures who formerly worked with Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham.

Moreover, militants also confiscated the phones of civilians passing through the area of protests, as well as all motorbikes at the location, while all entries leading to Idlib were blocked. 

After the sit-in was dispersed, al-Jolani's security service put on a military show as a response to the demonstrations. 

دعوات للنفير العام ضد الجولاني في ادلب بعد هجوم جهازه الأمني على خيمة الاعتصام pic.twitter.com/G4BOqSx7FQ

— سائر اسليم (@Saer_Asleam) May 14, 2024

Local sources reported that al-Jolani's supporters had been provoking demonstrators since Monday, by throwing rocks and water at protesters inside tents found outside the "Military Court". The so-called security service has also been sending protesters threatening messages, which were ignored as demonstrators rallied the residents of nearby towns to join them.

Sources also revealed that the city has been seeing unprecedented tensions, as the security service deployed condensed forces on every street to prevent demonstrators from receiving any support amid calls to save the sit-in tent, public rage, and to fail al-Jolani's goal of silencing protests.