Tahrir al-Sham has been committing human rights violations in areas under its control in Syria's Idlib province, the Syrian Network for Human Rights reported Saturday (October 21st).

In a new report, the network documents violations committed by the extremist alliance, which is dominated by the former al-Nusra Front (ANF), between mid-July and the end of August.

These include influencing the work of local civil councils, carrying out arbitrary detentions and preventing media professionals and activists from performing their work freely, the network said.

The 13-page report, "Tahrir al-Sham Commits Wide Violations in Idlib Province", called for the local councils to be protected from takeover or dissolution.

It included testimonies that shed light on the alliance's most egregious violations, particularly those that suppress human rights, personal freedoms, media work and the work of humanitarian organisations.

"The report tried to present a clear picture of ANF’s practices in Idlib province," Musab Assaf, a local media activist who contributed to the report, told Diyaruna.

These in particular included the group's obstruction and blockage of the work of humanitarian organisations and local councils, Assaf added, using a pseudonym out of concern for his safety.

It covered the arbitrary detention of dissidents, he said, and recorded the killing of at least 10 civilians, two of whom were children, one of whom was a media activist and two others who had been tortured.

Tahrir al-Sham 'hijacked the revolution'

"The report was based on eyewitness accounts," Assaf said.

There would have been more accounts of the group's violations "if it were not for the witnesses’ fear of retaliation by Tahrir al-Sham, since they still live in areas under its control", he noted.

The report was released in October, but the work of collecting and documenting information stopped about a month ago, he said.

"Since that time, many violations by Tahrir al-Sham have been recorded in Idlib, especially with regard to media work and Tahrir al-Sham chasing elements of the Free Syrian Army and factions that announced their split from the alliance," he said.

The evidence presented in the report confirms the extremist alliance "hijacked the Syrian revolution and is oppressing the Syrian people", he said, noting that the group has not treated Syrians any better than the regime.