No Fewer than 20 Civilians Extrajudicially Killed in Homs City Between April 23-28, 2025 [EN/AR]

The Transitional Government Must Take Urgent Action to Hold the Perpetrators Accountable and Ensure Civilian Protection

The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) has documented a surge in violent and un-lawful killings in Homs city between April 23 and 28, 2025 that saw the killing of at least 20 civilians, including one woman, in separate and successive incidents across the city. Most victims were found shot dead, in circumstances clearly suggesting the involvement of armed groups operating outside the law.

Initial investigations indicate that the killings were concentrated in the neighborhoods of Wadi al-Thahab, Karm al-Zaitoun, al-Nuzha, and Karm al-Luz – all areas predominantly in-habited by members of the Alawite sect. These killings ranged from targeted assassinations of individuals previously affiliated with the Assad regime, some of whom had gone through reconciliation agreements, to random killings suspected to be driven by sectarian and retali-atory motives. This reflects a troubling rise in social tensions and instability in these parts of the city.

Available data and the sequence of field events indicate that this wave of violence began immediately after patrols conducted by the Ministry of Interior’s General Security Directo-rate entered the village of Rayyan in eastern rural Homs on Wednesday, April 23, with the aim of establishing permanent headquarters and checkpoints. The move faced immediate opposition from local armed groups affiliated with the al-Fawa’ra tribe, which forced the government forces to withdraw.

Following this withdrawal, Homs city witnessed a significant escalation in armed violence, with attacks targeting the aforementioned neighborhoods. Eyewitness accounts and testi-monies from local residents indicate that the attacks were retaliatory in nature, seemingly designed to create security confusion and undermine public trust in the security apparatus’s ability to sustain stability, particularly given their timing just hours after the tension in eastern rural Homs.

These developments coincided with ongoing security operations by government forces to pursue individuals accused of being affiliated with the former Assad regime and implicated in human rights violations. Simultaneously, unidentified armed groups, operating outside state control, emerged and carried out killings primarily targeting Alawite individuals. This strongly suggests acts of score-settling related to the former Assad regime’s rule. These in-cidents raise serious concerns about the potential spread of retaliatory violence. The nature and timing of these attacks highlight continued security and social instability in Homs, amid the presence of multiple armed factions and the absence of a centralized security authority capable of restoring order. This underlines the depth of the challenges the city faces during the transitional phase.

The violence also triggered partial displacement from some affected neighborhoods, along with a notable decline in economic and commercial activity, and a worsening sense of fear and insecurity among residents. These trends pose a direct threat to the foundations of so-cietal stability and civil peace in Homs.

SNHR views this escalation as a dangerous indicator of deteriorating security conditions, the persistence of organized crime patterns, and serious violations against civilians, occurring in a near-total absence of effective mechanisms for accountability and justice, and amid weak coordination between official security and military institutions.

LEGAL CONCLUSIONS

1. Unlawful killings constitute a grave violation of the right to life

Killing without legal basis or outside the confines of due legal process, constitutes a clear violation of Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Syria is a state party. This article affirms the right to life as a funda-mental, inalienable right, even during public emergencies.

2. The state bears responsibility for protecting individuals and preventing violations

In the post-conflict phase, authorities have a heightened responsibility to uphold the rule of law and prevent any unofficial entities from perpetrating violence or infringing on individuals’ fundamental rights. Failure to respond effectively or delays in investi-gating and prosecuting these crimes represent a breach of the state’s obligations and entrench a culture of impunity, threatening transitional stability, deepening social divi-sions, and hindering community reconciliation and trust-building efforts.

3. The absence of accountability mechanisms deepens the harm of rights violations

The continued occurrence of extrajudicial killings without transparent investigations and effective accountability not only affects the victims’ rights but also undermines public trust in state institutions and obstructs transitional justice efforts grounded in truth, accountability, and redress.

4. Retaliatory actions or collective targeting may reflect discriminatory motives

Repeated targeting of individuals based on sectarian or political backgrounds suggests discriminatory motivations, which risk fueling communal tensions and violence. This necessitates immediate intervention by relevant authorities to ensure equality and pro-tect vulnerable or at-risk groups.

5. Protecting the right to life is a prerequisite for rebuilding a post-con-flict state

Justice and civil peace cannot be achieved without genuine, effective protection of human rights, foremost among them the right to life. Practical steps to prevent such violations and hold perpetrators accountable are essential for rebuilding trust between the state and society and establishing a legal and judicial system with legitimacy and public confidence.

6. Addressing violations is key to advancing transitional justice

These recent events underscore the enormous challenges facing Syria’s transitional justice process, particularly in terms of accountability and combating impunity. Effectively confront-ing such violations through judicial and administrative mechanisms is crucial for strengthening the credibility of state institutions, stabilizing the transition, and creating an environment con-ducive to reconciliation and restoring citizen trust.

RECOMMENDATIONS

In light of the recent escalation in Homs governorate and the documented incidents of extra-judicial killing, SNHR is outlining the following urgent recommendations at both national and international levels to support efforts to protect civilians, strengthen accountability mecha-nisms, and ensure a stable transition.

To the Syrian transitional government

1. Continue conducting impartial and transparent investigations into unlawful killings in Homs city, and regularly publicize findings to promote transparency and community trust.

2. Intensify efforts to control unregulated armed groups, implement effective preventive measures to reduce the recurrence of such incidents, and hold perpetrators accountable within a framework that demonstrates respect for human rights and law.

3. Support security and military sector reform programs based on good governance princi-ples, including improving the capacity of security agencies and implementing strict internal oversight mechanisms to ensure discipline and accountability.

4. Reinforce disciplined security presence in the most affected neighborhoods to ensure ci-vilian safety, reduce social tensions, and uphold neutrality and professionalism in security forces

5. Empower the civil public prosecution to oversee all security operations in residential areas, ensuring their legality and respect for citizens’ fundamental human rights.

6. Establish secure and protected channels for citizens to report violations without fear, and provide psychological, social, and economic support to victims as part of a comprehensive reparation and justice strategy.

7. Support local and community dialogue initiatives to promote social cohesion and bridge divides in conflict-affected or sectarian tension zones.

To the international community and relevant UN missions and committees

1. Support and strengthen national efforts in accountability and human rights protection through technical assistance and expertise to build institutional capacity for investigation, documentation, and violence response.

2. Enhance cooperation with transitional institutions in Syria to support transitional justice ef-forts, ensuring integration between truth-seeking, victim redress, and respect for national sovereignty and Syrian aspirations for justice and stability.

3. Support local initiatives aimed at promoting civil peace and stability, particularly in areas with heightened security tensions, to help break cycles of retaliation and violence.

4. Invest in community peacebuilding and civilian protection programs, provide support to civil organizations working in monitoring and documentation, and increase public aware-ness of justice and human rights principles.

To local and international civil society organizations

1. Continue accurate and independent documentation of violations, including collecting tes-timonies and evidence to contribute to future legal case building, while paying attention to local context in each case.

2. Organize community awareness campaigns to counter hate speech, affirm non-discrimina-tion principles, and promote justice, citizenship, and peaceful coexistence among various social groups.

3. Establish platforms to provide psychological, legal, and community support to victims and their families, ensuring their effective access to transitional justice mechanisms.

4. Enhance collaboration with international institutions specializing in transitional justice to build the capacity of local actors in monitoring, documentation, and legal advocacy.