A series of hospital strikes gripped Aleppo late in July, following the arrest of one doctor at a hospital in the city.

The strikes started with 100 resident doctors going on strike at El-Razi hospital in Aleppo on 26 July, after their colleague, dentist Ayman Henawy, was arrested by security forces at the hospital. Aleppo Hospital and the Canadian Hospital followed suit with strike action involving hundreds of doctors.

The doctors at both hospitals issued a solidarity statement demanding: “The release of all their colleagues from various security prisons in Syria and an immediate end to the political arrests and heinous treatment of Syrians and Aleppo and across the country.”

The doctors also threatened “[that if] this barbaric treatment of their friends, family and colleagues continues, they will move towards indefinite strikes in their hospitals no matter the costs, in the name of freedom.” A call was also made for other hospitals namely, Hameat, Albab-Alwatany and E’zaz hospital to take similar action.

This follows from similar action that is taking place in Damascus, where for over 3 weeks now a growing group of lawyers have been staging an indefinite strike to protest the punishment of peaceful protest and the arrest of many of their colleagues. See video here.