803 Individuals Extrajudicially Killed Between March 6-10, 2025

Preliminary Report on the Violations that Took Place in the Wake of the Attacks Carried Out by Non-State Armed Groups Linked to the Assad Regime, Mostly in the Governorates of Latakia, Tartus, and Hama 

The Hague – The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) today released a preliminary report documenting the violations committed in the aftermath the attacks carried out by non-state armed groups linked to the Assad regime. These attacks, which were primarily concentrated in the governorates of Latakia, Tartus, and Hama, resulted in the extrajudicial killing of 803 people between March 6 and 10, 2025. 

The report notes that Syria experienced an unprecedented security crisis during this period, describing it as one of the worst waves of violence since the fall of the Assad regime on December 8, 2024. The non-state armed groups linked to the Assad regime carried out coordinated attacks targeting security and military sites affiliated with the transitional government’s Ministries of Defense and Interior. In response, official government forces launched extensive security operations to pursue the attackers. In these operations, local military factions, foreign Islamist groups nominally affiliated with the Ministry of Defense but not organizationally integrated with it, and local armed civilian groups provided support to government forces without being officially affiliated with any specific military formation. However, these security operations did not remain limited to pursuing those directly involved in the attacks. Instead, they quickly escalated into violent confrontations characterized by widespread and severe violations, most of which were retaliatory and sectarian in nature. Local factions and foreign Islamist groups nominally affiliated with the Ministry of Defense were primarily responsible for committing these violations.

The report reveals that these violations included extrajudicial killings, field executions, and systematic mass killings motivated by revenge and sectarianism. Additionally, civilians, including medical personnel, journalists, and humanitarian workers, were targeted. The violations also extended to attacks on public facilities and dozens of public and private properties, causing waves of forced displacement affecting hundreds of residents. Dozens of civilians and Internal Security personnel also went missing, significantly worsening the humanitarian and security situation in the affected areas.

The report further explains that the complexity of the current security situation is due to the multiplicity of parties involved in the conflict and the overlap in their roles, making it extremely difficult to determine individual legal responsibility for the aforementioned violations. This poses significant challenges to the transitional government’s efforts to restore security and prevent further violations. In this context, President Ahmed Al-Shara’ issued a decision on March 9, 2025, to form an independent national committee to investigate and establish the facts surrounding the events in the coastal region, with the committee expected to submit its final report to the Presidency within 30 days.

SNHR commended the decision to form the independent national committee to investigate the events in the coastal region, considering this a positive step that reflects the transitional government’s seriousness and commitment to achieving justice and uncovering the truth regarding the grave violations that began on March 6, 2025. While appreciating this initiative, SNHR recommends further enhancing the committee’s effectiveness and ensuring the transparency of its work by including representatives from independent human rights organization, explaining that this would help strengthen transparency and integrate a non-governmental human rights-related perspective into the investigation. Additionally, SNHR emphasized the need for the committee to include members of the Alawite community and representatives from the affected areas where the violations occurred, given the clear sectarian nature of many of these crimes. Such inclusivity would enhance confidence in the investigation’s findings and ensure the committee’s impartiality.

SNHR also called for expanding the committee’s geographical scope to cover all areas where serious violations occurred, rather than limiting the investigation to the coastal region. Furthermore, SNHR urged extending the timeframe of the committee’s investigation beyond 30 days, given the complexity of the events being investigated and the multiple parties involved in committing violations, explaining that a sufficient period is necessary to collect evidence accurately and comprehensively, ensuring that the truth is fully uncovered. In this regard, SNHR affirmed its full readiness to cooperate with the independent national committee by providing documented data and information, as well as the technical and expertise of its specialist teams in documentation and verification, to support justice and accountability efforts.

The report stated that SNHR documented the killing of at least 803 people between March 6 and 10, 2025, including 39 children and 49 women (adult females). SNHR recorded that at least 172 members of security, police, and military forces (Internal Security Forces and Ministry of Defense personnel) were killed by non-state armed groups linked to the Assad regime. Additionally, at least 211 civilians, including a humanitarian worker, were killed in direct shootings carried out by these groups.

SNHR also documented the killing of at least 420 civilians and disarmed fighters, including 39 children, 49 women, and 27 medical personnel, by armed forces participating in military operations (factions and unregulated groups nominally affiliated with the Ministry of Defense) during the extensive security and military campaign launched in areas where non-state armed groups linked to the Assad regime were based. The victims were distributed across governorates as follows:

• Latakia Governorate: 185 killed, including 15 children, 11 women, and two medical personnel.
• Hama Governorate: 49 killed, including 15 children, 10 women, and one medical worker.
• Tartus Governorate: 183 killed, including nine children, 28 women, and 24 medical personnel.
• Homs Governorate: three killed.

Note: SNHR does not document the deaths of non-state armed group members, as the killing of these forces during clashes is not considered illegal. 

SNHR also documented that at least nine activists and media workers were directly targeted while covering clashes between the armed forces participating in military operations and non-state armed groups linked to the Assad regime in the governorates of Latakia and Tartus. Additionally, six civilian sites were directly attacked during the reporting period, all of which resulted from assaults by armed groups linked to the regime.

The report provides a detailed account of the attacks and violations committed between March 6 and 10, 2025, highlighting that these events occurred in the context of a general security collapse, widespread instability in multiple areas of the country, and a significant escalation of violence. This led to repeated and continuous attacks and violations over the four days covered in the report.

The report confirms that the events documented provide clear evidence of serious violations of international human rights law during the period from March 6 to 10, 2025. These violations included mass killings, summary executions, and attacks targeting civilians, including children, women, medical personnel, and journalists.

The report also highlights the fact that the complexity of the security situation, due to the overlapping roles of various actors in the conflict, has made it difficult to precisely determine individual responsibility. SNHR holds all parties that committed or contributed to these violations accountable, particularly non-state armed groups linked to the Assad regime and unregulated armed groups operating without a clear central command.

The armed confrontations also exposed the poor capabilities of security agencies and government military forces to handle large-scale security challenges. This was due to inadequate legal training and poor operational planning. Furthermore, the transitional government’s inability to establish central control over the armed groups allied with it contributed to a significant rise in violations on the ground.

The report indicates that the events covered during this period showed a dangerous escalation in sectarian rhetoric and behavior, exacerbating the impact of violations on civilians, who were subjected to mass and retaliatory killings, as well as systematic targeting of their properties. This led to large-scale displacement and worsening humanitarian crises.

Given the nature and scale of these violations, the report underscores the urgent need for independent and comprehensive investigations and for holding those responsible for these crimes accountable. The absence of accountability poses a serious risk of perpetuating violence and perpetuating a culture of impunity.

The report provides a number of recommendations.

To the transitional government

1. Control the armed forces and affiliated groups and prevent further violations

• Establish clear and effective mechanisms to ensure oversight and accountability for the actions of armed groups affiliated with the transitional government.
• Require these groups to fully comply with international human rights law during security and military operations.

2. Conduct an independent and transparent investigation and ensure accountability

• Form a broad, independent national committee to investigate the committed crimes, with participation from independent local human rights organizations.
• Prosecute those involved in violations and conduct fair trials to prevent impunity.

3. Protect civilians and secure their humanitarian needs

• Ensure immediate and effective protection for civilians in areas experiencing clashes or security tensions.

4. Restructure and rehabilitate security and military agencies

• Restructure the security and military forces to enhance their efficiency and ensure compliance with international law.
• Provide specialist training programs focused on respecting human rights standards during field operations.

To security forces and the military

• Take the necessary measures to protect hospitals and medical facilities from any targeting during military operations.
• Ensure the protection of journalists and media personnel and allow them to cover events safely and freely.
• Prevent any sectarian or politically motivated acts of revenge and prosecute those involved in military courts.

To judicial authorities and government institutions

• Strengthen the independence of the Syrian judiciary to ensure immediate and fair accountability for those suspected of or involved in perpetrating violations.
• Establish a national fund to compensate victims and those affected, in addition to launching urgent rehabilitation and reconstruction programs in areas impacted by violations.

To Syrian society and civil society organizations

• Support professional documentation efforts for violations to secure necessary evidence for future accountability.
• Strengthen local and community efforts to ease sectarian tensions and support civil initiatives that promote peaceful coexistence and social dialogue while avoiding acts of revenge under all circumstances.

To local actors (religious and social institutions)

• Launch local campaigns to combat sectarian incitement and hate speech, promoting social cohesion and peaceful coexistence through dialogue and social and cultural awareness.
• Advocate for the establishment of local reconciliation committees involving trusted community figures to help reduce sectarian and social tensions and create suitable conditions for the success of transitional justice efforts.
• Emphasize the role of community leaders in spreading clear messages that call for coexistence and in rejecting violence while contributing to calming inflammatory rhetoric within society.

To the UN and the international community

• The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic (COI) must urgently follow up on recent events and conduct an independent investigation to document crimes and violations and clearly identify the responsible parties.
• Support national organizations working on documenting violations, as well as relief organizations, and those promoting civil peace.
• Call on the international community and humanitarian organizations to provide urgent emergency assistance to those affected by military operations, especially in Latakia, Tartus, and Hama, and ensure immediate humanitarian and medical aid reaches the affected populations.