ALEPPO, Syria — Dozens of angry residents of al-Bab in the eastern countryside of Aleppo gathered on May 22 in front of the military police building in the city, demanding accountability for those responsible for the release from the military police prison of a regime army soldier accused of war crimes without bringing him to justice.

The protesters blocked the main roads in the city and surrounded the military police building with burning tires. The movement was triggered by the expiry of a 72-hour deadline the Ministry of Defense of the Syrian opposition-affiliated Interim Government had given to the temporary military investigation committee established to submit the results of the investigation into the case of the suspect.

The protesters staged an open sit-in in front of the police building, threatening a peaceful escalation if their demands were not met.

The military police in the city, affiliated with the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA), had released the suspect due to the intervention of a commander in the SNA-affiliated Sultan Murad Division named Hamido al-Juhaishi.