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2w ago

Syria Detains Defence and Interior Personnel Over Sweida Executions After Amnesty Report

Investigators say suspects filmed abuses themselves, with rights groups pressing for an independent probe.

A wall is pockmarked by bullet holes inside the Saraya family house, following sectarian violence in Syria's Sweida province, where government forces were sent to quell local clashes between Druze armed factions and Bedouin tribal fighters, in the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, Syria, July 25, 2025. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi/File Photo
Tribal and bedouin fighters gather in the western neighbourhood of southern Syria's predominantly Druze city of Sweida, amid clashes with Druze gunmen on July 19, 2025. Syrian Bedouins and their allies fought Druze gunmen in the community's Sweida heartland for a seventh day despite a ceasefire ordered by the government following a US-brokered deal to avert further Israeli military intervention. (Photo by Abdulaziz KETAZ / AFP) (Photo by ABDULAZIZ KETAZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Overview

  • Amnesty International reported at least 46 Druze civilians were deliberately killed by government and affiliated forces in Suwayda on July 15–16.
  • Verified evidence shows executions at a public square, private homes, a school, a hospital, and a ceremonial hall, including the killing of a medical worker by men in uniform.
  • Syria’s investigation committee said members of the defence and interior ministries were interrogated, detained, and referred to the judiciary over suspected abuses, without disclosing numbers.
  • The committee’s spokesperson said the suspects are Syrian nationals acting in an individual capacity and that some confessed after being shown video footage deemed sufficient evidence.
  • The Defence Ministry previously acknowledged “shocking and serious violations,” while Amnesty and other advocates are calling for a prompt, independent, impartial inquiry and accountability.