Bloody violence: security forces execute Alawites in Syria!

Bloody violence: security forces execute Alawites in Syria!

Serious human rights violations have again been documented in Syria, including the targeted killing of civilians. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports that security forces shot at a bus during a check on June 5, 2025. At least eight Alawite civilians were executed and five other passengers were injured. These incidents are part of a worrying turnaround in the Syrian conflict that has emerged since fighting continued in the country.

Five Alawites were found dead in a Damascus hospital two days after their arrest. The Observatory alleges that these men were “summarily shot.” On Sunday they were on their way home from work when their bus was stopped at a checkpoint. In addition to the dead, a seventh person is missing. The bus driver was also affected and was treated in hospital. These horrific events are directly linked to an ongoing climate of violence against the Alawite minority, which has increased in recent months.

Massacres and war crimes

At the beginning of March 2025, there were targeted killings of members of the Alawite community in the coastal town of Banias. According to reports from Amnesty International More than 100 people were killed, including 24 men, six women and two children. These killings were deemed to be intentional against the Alawite minority and clearly unlawful. Eyewitnesses reported that some of them were held responsible for crimes committed by the previous government and that many of the victims were buried in mass graves without religious rites.

The UN documentation also points to a total of 111 killings of civilians recorded in the governorates of Tartous, Latakia and Hama. The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) recorded 420 unlawful killings, including 39 children, during the same period. Amnesty International is calling for accountability for those responsible and an independent investigation into the incidents.

International reactions and challenges

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has described the conflict as particularly brutal and blamed both Syrian government forces and the opposition for violating international humanitarian law. In various areas, Syrian government forces are bombarding densely populated areas with heavy weapons, causing further destruction and loss of life. The conflict has left more than 2.5 million people in Syria in need of humanitarian assistance.

Ban Ki-moon has called on the international community to support a plan to resolve the conflict. The situation of refugees who have to flee to neighboring countries as a direct result of the ongoing violence is also discussed. UN requests for aid are inadequately met and the humanitarian situation remains tense.

Amid these challenges, human rights organizations continue to urgently call for respect for human rights and a full investigation into atrocities committed since the conflict began in 2011.