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HRW Says Syria Failing to Deliver Justice Over Sweida Killings

The rights group warns that delays in inquiries, with trials still stalled, entrench impunity.

FILE - A car drives by a destroyed statue in the Druze-majority town of Sweida, Syria, July 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki, File)

Overview

  • Human Rights Watch reported 86 apparently unlawful civilian killings in Sweida, identifying 67 Druze and 19 Bedouin victims.
  • Eyewitnesses cited by the group accused government forces of summary killings and the destruction of civilian property.
  • Accounts also described government-backed Bedouin groups looting homes and kidnapping people, while Druze militias carried out revenge raids detaining Bedouin civilians.
  • The United Nations estimated about 187,000 people were displaced by the late-July violence after clashes between Druze-affiliated militias and local Bedouin clans.
  • Syrian authorities announced detentions and an inquiry in September, extended the reporting deadline in November, and have not begun any trials, prompting HRW to urge senior-level accountability and security-sector reform.