Syria’s National Investigation Committee has released its final report on the July 2025 unrest in Sweida, documenting heavy human losses, serious rights violations and large‑scale displacement, while calling for comprehensive accountability and warning that any foreign meddling represents an unacceptable assault on Syria’s sovereignty and a threat to regional stability.
The committee, formed on 31 July 2025, said its work focused on fact‑finding and evidence collection “to reach the truth and assign responsibility,” and stressed that its mandate was to provide an impartial assessment of events. Presenting the findings in Damascus, committee chair Judge Hatem al‑Naassan and spokesperson Ammar Ezz al‑Din expressed condolences to victims’ families and thanked witnesses and institutions that cooperated, noting the report was completed with Justice Ministry support and handed in full to the ministry, with its substance made public “to strengthen transparency.”
Heavy toll and complex local dynamics
Based on 769 case forms, including testimony from 213 witnesses and 437 victims and relatives, as well as community representatives, the committee documented 1,760 people killed and 2,188 injured on all sides, treated in hospitals in Sweida, Izraa and Damascus, in addition to casualties from tribal communities and state security and military forces. The investigation drew on witness accounts, field visits, documents and digital material cross‑checked with official records from government bodies, forensic authorities, the Red Crescent and civil defense. Access to some areas inside Sweida was obstructed by armed groups, forcing the use of alternative methods.
The report situates the violence within escalating tensions between local components, particularly Bedouin tribes and Druze communities, between 11 and 20 July 2025. This period saw mutual kidnappings and attacks on property, prompting a government security intervention that unfolded amid armed clashes, ambushes and, critically, Israeli airstrikes on Syrian governmental positions in Sweida and Damascus. Those strikes, the committee warned, further inflamed the situation, weakened the state’s ability to contain violence and contributed directly to the chaos — a “serious violation of Syria’s sovereignty” with dangerous implications for wider regional security.
Violations, displacement and sectarian incitement
The committee concludes that “serious human rights violations” occurred, including deliberate killings, armed robbery, torture, destruction of property and incitement of sectarian hatred. Responsibility is shared among multiple actors: local armed groups, individuals linked to ISIS, and some members of government security and military forces. All such information has been referred to the competent judiciary.
The report documents prisoner exchanges, including the release of 119 Druze and 25 people from Bedouin, tribal and government forces, while noting that several persons remain missing, among them Syrian Civil Defence worker Hamza al‑Amarin. It also records mass displacement affecting “tens of thousands” from all communities: more than 27,000 Bedouins and around 34,000 Druze and Christians, who moved to shelters in Daraa, Damascus countryside and other areas. The committee warns that prolonged displacement risks forced demographic change and long‑term damage to social cohesion.
At least 36 villages in Sweida countryside suffered extensive arson and vandalism, including attacks on homes and religious sites such as Druze shrines, councils and churches, carried out by armed groups from inside and outside the governorate for motives of revenge and looting. In parallel, retaliatory attacks targeted Bedouin population clusters in and around Sweida city, involving burning, destruction and theft, and causing near‑total displacement of Bedouin families. While the pace of violence has declined since the Sweida–Damascus road was secured, the committee remains concerned by ongoing individual incidents of killing, kidnapping and arbitrary detention, and calls for urgent measures to protect civilians.
On the information front, the report finds that hate speech and sectarian incitement spread widely via social media and some media outlets before and during the events, including calls for violence and insults against religious and social groups. Sectarian language also accompanied some on‑the‑ground abuses. The committee describes this discourse as a “dangerous driver” of escalation and polarization, stressing that incitement to violence based on identity violates human rights and Syria’s international obligations.
Role of state forces and organized crime
Regarding the conduct of Syrian army and security forces, the committee notes that units did attempt to stop armed tribal convoys from reaching Sweida, but “the sheer numbers and laxity by some personnel” meant they were not fully contained. Other testimonies described cases where General Security returned some tri rebuild trust between citizens and the state and to anchor good governance and respect for the law. Documenting these events, it says, “is a necessary step in a wider path toward justice, redress and sustainable peace” for all Syrians.
SANA
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