URGENT: Ethnoreligious Cleansing of Indigenous People and Religious Minorities in Syria - Critical Questions for International Authorities

ADFA
Oct 23
3 min read

Victims of the clashes outside the Sweida National Hospital in July. Credit: Fahd Kiwan/Associated Press, Published in the New York Times report of 22 October 2025

A Demand For Action (ADFA) is following the situation in Syria closely and monitoring developments on a daily basis. We remain committed to documenting and advocating for the protection of all religious and ethnic minorities in Syria.

Syria’s religious minorities—Christians, Druze, Alawites, and others—are facing a systematic campaign of persecution and erasure. Verified reports confirm massacres, bombings, and kidnappings across multiple provinces, while the world remains largely silent.

We urge the US State Department, USCIRF, the UN, the European Parliament, and the European Commission to:

Demand independent investigations into all extrajudicial killings and documented torture
Request full accountability for verified atrocities regardless of sect or affiliation
Ensure due process for all detainees and verify causes of death
Address the systematic persecution of Christians, Alawites, Druze, and other minorities
Support international fact-finding missions

Recent investigations by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the Syrian Justice Archive (SJA), and Syrians for Truth and Justice (STJ), reported by The New York Times, The Independent, and The Cradle, document systematic persecution of Christians, Alawites, Druze, and other religious minorities:

Early 2025 - March Pogroms:
- Over 1,200 Alawites were killed in coordinated sectarian violence across coastal provinces
- Entire families, including women and children, were systematically targeted
- Mass killings, burning of homes, and forced displacement documented by UN human rights office
- Revenge operations with no international intervention to stop the massacres
June 2025 - Church Bombing in Damascus:
- On June 22, 2025, gunmen opened fire and detonated explosives inside the Greek Orthodox Mar Elias Church during Divine Liturgy
- At least 30 people were killed and 54 injured in the attack
- A targeted assault on the Christian community during worship
July 2025 - Druze Massacres in Sweida:
- About 2,000 civilians, the vast majority Druze, were killed by government forces and pro-government fighters
- Verified video evidence documents execution-style killings, forced deaths by jumping off buildings, and systematic humiliation
- Government soldiers in military uniforms carried out multiple documented atrocities
- Many perpetrators filmed themselves and posted trophy videos to social media
October 2025 - Escalating Violence Against Christians:
- Ethno-religious cleansing of Christians has intensified
- Attacks in Wadi Al-Nasara (Valley of Christians) have escalated
- At least two Christians killed in early October attacks
- Growing threats to Christian communities across Syria
Recent Violence - Homs Governorate:
- At least 62 detainees, predominantly Alawites, have died in Syrian government prisons
- Deaths in custody are systematically recorded as "heart attacks" without medical verification
- Eight people were killed in sectarian violence over three days
- Alawite women and girls are being kidnapped
- Christians face ongoing threats and persecution
Across Syria:
- Christians, Alawites, Druze and other religious minorities report systematic discrimination, violence, and threats
- Official silence from authorities has allowed perpetrators to operate with apparent impunity