Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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October 30, 2025 Human rights
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic warned today that renewed violence is undermining hopes for stability that emerged after the fall of Syria's previous government last year.
Human rights violations
The commission expressed deep concern that ongoing mass killings and human rights violations, including those reportedly committed by members of the interim government's security forces, could drag the country back into conflict.
Photo UN/J-M. Ferrier
Speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York, Commission Chair Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro called on the interim Syrian authorities and UN member states to address the root causes of the recent violence and prevent its recurrence.
"Syria's future hangs in the balance, and the country urgently needs assistance that goes far beyond the humanitarian plan, which itself remains woefully underfunded," Pinheiro said.
The return of refugees
Since December 2024, more than a million Syrian refugees have returned home, "swept up in an unprecedented wave of optimism," the Commission said in a statement. This progress was made possible by the creation of a new transitional justice body and a National Authority for Missing Persons, which experts called "critical steps toward justice for victims."
In addition, the interim authorities granted the Commission members full access to various regions of the country, including Latakia, Tartus, As-Suwayda and the surrounding areas.
However, according to Pinheiro, “despite the positive steps taken by the government towards state-building, repeated outbreaks of violence are alarming and call into question the ability of the interim authorities to end the entrenched cycles of violence in Syria.”
Mass executions
In March, an estimated 1,400 men, women and children were killed in massacres in the governorates of Latakia, Tartus and Hama, in some cases involving members of the interim government's security forces.
© OCHA/A.H.Suleiman
A new cycle of violence began after coordinated attacks by forces loyal to the former government. Armed individuals filmed gross human rights violations against the Alawite population, including executions and the bodies of murdered and burned people lying in the streets.
“It is alarming that the Commission continues to receive reports of extrajudicial killings, torture, ill-treatment and forced displacement of Alawite civilians in Damascus and the western governorates,” Pinheiro said.
The investigation continues
The Commission's investigations are ongoing, but it is already clear that the humanitarian needs of displaced communities, including Druze and Bedouin, are enormous and require urgent action ahead of winter.
Violence against women
Pinheiro also expressed growing concern about cases of violence and discrimination against women, citing numerous reports of abductions of women and girls by unknown armed groups. Some were reportedly subjected to sexual violence and forced marriages. Families claim that local authorities are taking no steps to investigate these disappearances.
Bringing the guilty to justice
According to the Commission Chair, further decisive and concrete steps must be taken to hold perpetrators accountable and restore trust between the state and the affected communities. This includes combating incitement, both online and offline, which fuels violence on the coast, in As-Suwayda, and elsewhere. Such hateful rhetoric, coupled with a sense of impunity following repeated massacres, is deeply alarming: there is a risk of a new surge in violence unless urgent reform and prevention measures are taken.
© OCHA/A.H.Suleiman
"The transitional authorities face enormous challenges, and they require the attention, support and resources of Member States to address them," Pinheiro stressed.
External intervention
The Commission also expressed grave concern about external interference, calling on Member States to take urgent measures to prevent the forced displacement and arbitrary detention of civilians as a result of Israel's advance into southern Syria last December, as well as ongoing Israeli airstrikes. "Such actions by third parties risk further escalating the conflict and exacerbating the suffering of the Syrian people," the statement said.
Tensions also remain in northeastern Syria, where clashes were reported in Aleppo and at the Tishreen Dam in early October.
Effective institutions
“A secure, rights-respecting Syria, reflecting the country’s rich mosaic of religious and ethnic communities, requires strong, inclusive, and effective state institutions rooted in human rights and the rule of law,” Pinheiro said.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.