UN expresses concern over massacres, human rights violations in Syria
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The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria warns that massacres, human rights abuses, and Israeli strikes threaten to reignite conflict and derail the fragile recovery process.
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Morgue workers place the bodies of unidentified people killed during clashes between Bedouin clans and Druze militias into plastic bags outside the National Hospital in Sweida, Syria, Monday, July 21, 2025. (AP)
The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria has warned that a resurgence of brutal violence risks unraveling the so-called hard-won progress made since the fall of the previous Syrian government last year.
In a briefing to the UN General Assembly, Commission Chair Paulo Pinheiro expressed deep concern over the return of mass atrocities and serious human rights violations. He warned that some of these abuses are being allegedly committed by members of security forces aligned with the interim government.
“Repeated massacres and violations of human rights, including those reportedly perpetrated by interim government security forces, risk dragging the country back into conflict,” Pinheiro said.
Over 1,400 killed in March massacres
According to the commission, approximately 1,400 men, women, and children were killed in March in coordinated massacres across the provinces of Latakia, Tartous, and Hama. Some of the killings were carried out by members of the interim government’s security forces.
Disturbing footage emerged of armed individuals filming themselves committing severe human rights violations against Alawite civilians, including executions and scenes showing charred bodies on the streets.
“The future of Syria hangs in the balance,” Pinheiro stated. “The repeated flare-ups of violence have dampened optimism about the interim authorities’ ability to end the entrenched cycles of brutality.”
Reports of targeted killings and forced displacement
The commission continues to receive reports of extrajudicial killings, torture, abuse, and forced displacement of Alawite civilians, particularly in Damascus and western provinces, Pinheiro said.
He also revealed that during recent visits to Sweida and its rural outskirts, Commission teams met with victims, survivors, and witnesses from across communities. Many reported the killings of family members, as well as the abduction of women and girls by unidentified armed actors, some of whom were reportedly subjected to sexual violence and forced marriage.
Concerns over external interference and 'Israel's' actions
The commission also raised serious alarm over external interference in Syria, calling on UN member states to take immediate action to prevent forced displacement and arbitrary detention of civilians.
In particular, the report highlighted the expansion of Israeli operations into southern Syria and the continuation of aerial strikes, which it said are contributing to instability and triggering population displacement.
