Syria detains seven after man dies following beating in custody

Syria's government has detained seven individuals following the death of Mohammed Ghumeira, who died on Sunday after being beaten in police custody. The emergencies and disaster management ministry confirmed Ghumeira, in his late twenties, died due to brain and gastrointestinal haemorrhaging caused by his beating. Ghumeira was identified as one of their personnel, married with two children, and had haemophilia, a condition in which blood does not clot properly.

A family source told AFP that Ghumeira was accused of stealing a large sum of money and detained for three days before his release due to insufficient evidence, but he suffered a deterioration in health and died due to torture. State television reported that seven people were detained for investigation at the scene of the incident.

Interior Minister Anas Khattab vowed that any misconduct by interior ministry personnel will be dealt with firmly according to the law, and offenders will receive their just punishment.