Date September 15th, 2025
Introduction:
Between March and August 2025, multiple governorates in Syria—including Homs, Hama,
Latakia, Tartous, Damascus, and surrounding areas—witnessed a continuation and escalation of
systematic human rights violations. Civilians, particularly from minority communities such as
Alawites, were subjected to targeted killings, abductions, enforced disappearances, arbitrary
arrests, extrajudicial executions, torture, and attacks on property.
A particularly devastating event occurred in March on the Syrian coast, where a massacre
claimed the lives of over 1,500 people. Mass graves are still being uncovered, highlighting the
ongoing scale of atrocities and the lack of accountability. Concurrently, widespread fires swept
through neglected mountain regions, destroying homes, farmland, and villages—many of which
were effectively emptied of their Alawite populations, sometimes forcibly. In several areas, the
government de facto abandoned these territories, and some villages were renamed following the
displacement of their original residents, reflecting a deliberate attempt to erase local identities.
Throughout March, April, May, June, July, and August, documented violations included mass
killings, abductions of children, women, and men, deaths under torture, and destruction of
civilian property. Sectarian motivations were a persistent factor, and armed groups linked to
HTS, as well as state-affiliated security forces, were implicated in raids, intimidation campaigns,
and forced disappearances. Urban and rural areas alike were affected, with civilians living under
constant threat from arbitrary violence, attacks on infrastructure, and systematic attempts to
instill fear and depopulate minority communities.
The continued discovery of mass graves, the high number of deaths under torture, and the
systematic displacement of communities underscore the urgent need for independent
investigation, international monitoring, and protective measures for civilians. The patterns
observed during these months illustrate not only ongoing violations but also the deliberate
targeting of vulnerable populations, reflecting a coordinated campaign of sectarian violence and
territorial control across multiple Syrian governorates.