Sweida protest calls for release of abductees, self-determination
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Protesters in Sweida demand the release of abductees and the right to self-determination, as rights groups urge international action over violations.
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Workers clean the National Hospital following last week's sectarian clashes in the Druze-majority town of Sweida, Syria, on Friday, July 25, 2025 (AP)
Protesters gathered in Karama Square in Sweida, southern Syria, on Saturday, demanding the release of kidnapped men and women and calling for the "right to self-determination."
In turn, the media office of the Higher Legal Committee in Sweida announced that what it called the "Joulani authority" is still refusing to grant the independent international fact-finding committee entry under flimsy pretexts.
The committee confirmed that the residents of Sweida are experiencing continuous widespread human rights violations and living in a state of daily tension and anxiety for their safety on the outer borders.
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The committee emphasized that these violations "cannot be resolved through local judicial theatrics" and instead require independent international intervention involving international accountability mechanisms.
It called on the international community to expedite the deployment of the international commission of inquiry to conduct a prompt and transparent on-the-ground investigation and to grant it full, unobstructed access to witnesses and evidence without government interference.
The committee also called for guarantees of civilian protection, the facilitation of unconditional medical and humanitarian aid, and a halt to any military operations that could endanger their safety.
Furthermore, the Higher Legal Committee in Sweida, southern Syria, appealed for guaranteed access to all male and female abductees to protect the dignity of Sweida's residents and determine their fate. It also demanded the safe return of those forcibly displaced to their homes in the western and northern villages, the provision of reparations, and support for the people of Sweida's "right to self-determination."
Earlier, the spiritual leadership of the Druze community in Syria's Sweida governorate had called for the unconditional release of all individuals abducted by armed groups, arguing that this is fundamentally a humanitarian issue rather than a political one.
