Several areas in Syria have witnessed a series of crimes and attacks targeting members of sectarian minorities in recent days, amid accusations that members of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) are responsible for these acts.
Alawite Man Killed in Hama Countryside
In the village of Aziziyah in the al-Ghab Plain in the Hama countryside, Mr. Abdul Hadi al-Mahmoud, an Alawite, was shot dead by members of HTS inside his home in front of his wife and children. According to local sources, the incident occurred less than 24 hours after his photo was published on provocative pages calling for the killing and displacement of Alawites and other Syrian communities. In the same context, the village witnessed another crime ten days ago, when a bomb was thrown at the home of the village mukhtar, killing his wife, Amira Nassuri (77 years old), and seriously wounding him.
Christian Youth Assaulted in Homs
In Homs, a young Christian man, S.L., was seriously assaulted on the night of September 10, according to a post by Archbishop Michel Naaman. He explained that a member of the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham-affiliated General Security intercepted the young man as he was returning from a family visit, handcuffed him, and transported him to a remote area. There, he was severely beaten and subjected to sectarian insults. He was robbed of 200,000 Syrian pounds and forced to transfer $5,000 to an electronic wallet under threat of death. Archbishop Naaman himself was robbed at gunpoint on September 2 in the village of Zaidal in the Homs countryside.
Pressure to Cover Up Rape
In the village of Hawarat Amurin, local sources reported that a delegation from the “Civil Peace Committee” and another from the “Amshat” security forces were pressuring the family of Rawan al-Asaad to report the rape incident against “unknown individuals,” in an attempt to cover up the crime and avoid holding those responsible accountable. The sources expressed their dismay at the media outlets’ disregard for the crime, noting that the handling of such incidents varies depending on the victim’s sect.
Kidnapping and Loss of Contact with Minority Youth
In Qatana, in the Damascus countryside, contact with Rasha Kamel Mansour (30 years old), an Alawite, was lost on the morning of September 13, after she left her home in Ras al-Nabaa housing on her way to work.
In Damascus, Sami Ibrahim Fawaz, a Shiite, was kidnapped in the Aqraba area on the evening of September 14. An armed group intercepted him, confiscated his belongings, and took him to an unknown location.
Contact with Younis Rashid Assad, an Alawite, was also lost in the Jableh countryside after he left Jableh for Latakia on the afternoon of September 13.
Arson Attack on a Christian Village
In Wadi al-Nasara, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) members set fire to the Christian village of Kafra. Activists believe this was punishment for the publication of news about the torture of Milad Aziz al-Farkh, a resident of the village, in HTS prisons. Sources indicated that the use of drones to set fires constitutes a collective punishment policy targeting minority villages, as fires have consumed thousands of acres in Alawite and Christian areas in western Syria in recent months.
Census Targets Alawites in Damascus
In Damascus, HTS conducted a census in the predominantly Alawite neighborhood of al-Wurood, which included photographing residents, collecting their data, and imposing restrictions on their freedom. A document revealed the commission’s intention to conduct a similar census in the Mezzeh 86 neighborhood. These measures have raised concerns among residents, with local sources comparing the policy to the Nazi regime’s census of Jews prior to the Holocaust in 1933.
Demands for the Protection of Minorities
These incidents raise concerns about an escalation of sectarian violence in Syria, amid accusations that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is encouraging these acts by failing to hold perpetrators accountable. Activists have called for the protection of minorities and ensuring justice for victims, warning of the repercussions of the continuation of these policies.