Syria: Amnesty Report Uncovers Mass Executions of Druze Civilians in Suwayda

Nisaba Media - (Homms, Syria): A new investigation by Amnesty International has revealed harrowing evidence that Syrian government forces and allied militias executed dozens of Druze men and women in the southern governorate of Suwayda in July 2025, in what the rights group described as a chilling display of impunity and sectarian violence.

Verified videos, photographs and eyewitness accounts show armed men in official uniforms deliberately killing unarmed civilians in public squares, homes, schools and even inside a hospital.

Amnesty documented at least 46 executions between July 15 and 16, including 44 men and two women.

The report, published on September 2, points to systematic extrajudicial killings by Syrian security forces and affiliated fighters who at times worked alongside men wearing patches linked to the so-called Islamic State.

In many cases, perpetrators filmed themselves carrying out the executions, raising questions about complicity and the collapse of accountability mechanisms inside Syria.

“These horrific violations are yet another grim reminder of the deadly consequences of impunity for sectarian-based killings in Syria,” said Diana Semaan, Amnesty International’s Syria researcher.

“When security or military forces deliberately kill, or when affiliated forces do so with government acquiescence, it constitutes an extrajudicial execution, a crime under international law.”

Executions in Broad Daylight

According to the 70-page investigation, the killings took place after government forces entered Suwayda city on July 15 under the pretext of restoring order following clashes between Druze armed groups and Bedouin tribal fighters. A curfew was declared, but instead of stabilizing the city, uniformed men moved through neighborhoods carrying out executions in full public view.

Videos verified by Amnesty’s Evidence Lab depict armed men shooting unarmed detainees at close range.

One sequence shows eight Druze men forced to kneel in Tishreen Square before being executed by a firing squad of soldiers in mixed uniforms.

Witnesses told Amnesty the killings took place around 7 a.m. on July 16, and other footage confirmed the presence of government forces in the square at that time.

In another video, at least three men from the al-Arnous family were shot in a residential apartment, forced onto a balcony and gunned down.

Their bodies were later found near the building, just 150 meters away from the local Military Police headquarters. Amnesty verified that the area was firmly under government control.

Equally disturbing evidence emerged from Tha’la village in Suwayda countryside, where armed men interrogated a resident at a school entrance, asking if he was Muslim or Druze. When he identified himself as Druze, the men shot him on the spot.

Witnesses confirmed the execution took place on July 15 and that the perpetrators wore military fatigues and black uniforms with Syrian General Security insignia.

Witness Testimonies of Horror

For survivors and relatives, the events left scars that will last a lifetime.

A father who lost three sons and three nephews described the moment they were stopped at a checkpoint manned by two men in black uniforms. He recalled watching in his rear-view mirror as his son greeted the officers with a smile, only for them to open fire without warning. “What hurt me the most was seeing my son’s body dance as the bullets pierced him,” he said.

Another woman recounted how armed men lured her brothers and nephew out of their home near Suwayda’s national hospital on July 16, assuring them of safety before executing them in an unfinished building next door.

When families ventured out the following morning after government troops withdrew, they found the bodies of the men shot dead. “Instead, they killed us in cold blood,” she said.

Perhaps most shocking was the killing of Mohammed Rafiq al-Bahsas, a medical worker at the national hospital.

CCTV footage verified by Amnesty shows al-Bahsas kneeling among dozens of hospital staff before being pulled aside, struck on the head and shot at point blank range by uniformed men. He was then shot again by another officer as others looked on. The footage shows perpetrators in both military and General Security uniforms, some wearing black patches commonly associated with ISIS.

Sectarian Overtones and Humiliation

Amnesty’s report also documents acts of humiliation directed at Druze civilians, including sectarian slogans and the forcible shaving of moustaches, a cultural marker of Druze religious identity.

These actions, combined with the executions, point to a deliberate campaign of sectarian terror rather than battlefield excess.

The organization interviewed 15 witnesses, including eight people who lost relatives, and corroborated their testimonies with 22 videos and photos posted on social media or shared privately.

Amnesty’s researchers conducted weapons analysis, reviewed media footage from Suwayda, and cross-checked details with families. The findings provide one of the most detailed accounts yet of atrocities committed in the city.

Government Denials and Silence

The Syrian Ministry of Defence has acknowledged “shocking violations” by an unidentified group in Suwayda but has not accepted responsibility for the presence of uniformed state forces at execution sites.

On July 31, the Ministry of Justice announced the creation of a committee to investigate the killings, but no findings have been made public.

Amnesty wrote to the Syrian ministers of interior and defence on August 12, sharing its evidence and requesting updates on the investigation, but received no response. “Instead of fearing justice, men in military and security uniforms filmed themselves executing people in Suwayda,” said Semaan. “An independent and impartial investigation is crucial to identify perpetrators, hold them accountable and address impunity.”

Context of Clashes and Escalation

The violence erupted after several days of tension in early July. Druze armed groups and Bedouin tribal fighters clashed in southern Syria, leaving casualties on both sides. On July 15, government forces entered Suwayda, citing a mission to restore stability, and imposed a strict curfew.

That same day, Israeli airstrikes targeted Syrian military vehicles, killing at least 15 soldiers.

Reports of government abuses quickly triggered further confrontations between Druze groups and state forces. By late July 16, government units withdrew from Suwayda, leaving behind devastated families and mass graves.

Amnesty’s report also notes credible allegations that Druze and Bedouin fighters engaged in abductions in the days following the massacres, though these incidents are still under investigation.

Implications for Syria’s Minorities

The massacre in Suwayda has revived fears among Syria’s Druze minority, who have historically sought to maintain neutrality during the civil war.

For years, Druze communities attempted to shield themselves from direct involvement in the conflict, only to be caught between armed groups, ISIS attacks and state repression.

The executions follow a pattern of violence against religious minorities in Syria. Amnesty highlighted that Alawite civilians have also been subjected to massacres in past years, with no justice delivered.

The lack of accountability, Semaan warned, has emboldened both state and affiliated forces to act with impunity. “This violence against members of the Druze minority leaves another community devastated, fuels further unrest and undermines faith that the government will credibly deliver justice and reparations,” she said.

A Pattern of Impunity

The Suwayda executions underscore the broader crisis of impunity in Syria.

More than a decade after the start of the conflict, countless war crimes and crimes against humanity remain unpunished.

UN-led accountability mechanisms have been repeatedly blocked at the Security Council, leaving rights groups and independent investigators to piece together evidence of atrocities.

By documenting names, footage and testimonies, Amnesty seeks to ensure that crimes in Suwayda are not erased.

The organization is calling for prosecutions in fair proceedings without recourse to the death penalty and for international actors to support efforts at accountability.

To Remember..

For the families of Suwayda, the images are unbearable reminders of lives cut short.

A father watching his son executed at a checkpoint, a sister discovering her brothers’ bodies near a hospital, and doctors forced to witness a colleague’s death at gunpoint illustrate the brutality of a conflict where civilians continue to pay the highest price.

The killings of 46 Druze civilians in Suwayda are not isolated incidents but part of a systemic pattern of state violence in Syria.

If left unaddressed, they risk deepening sectarian divides, fueling cycles of vengeance and undermining any hope of reconciliation.

Amnesty’s report is a stark warning that without justice, Syria’s minorities will remain trapped in fear, and the cycle of bloodshed will continue.