UN rights office urges restraint amid reported Alawite killings in Syria

Human Rights logo. Predrag Stakic, Wikimedia Commons.

The UN human rights office, OHCHR, has urged restraint in Syria, amid reports that some individuals from the country’s Alawite community and other minority groups have been targeted and killed.  

Speaking in Geneva, OHCHR spokesperson Liz Throssell said that the Office was aware of reports and videos allegedly showing the killing of Alawite men in Homs and other Syrian cities since the overthrow of the Assad regime, which had a decades-long affiliation with Alawism – a branch of Shia Islam:

“We are aware of the reports and obviously our colleagues are working to corroborate. We know that the authorities have issued a statement calling on all to avoid retaliation,” Ms. Throssell added.

International legal obligations

“I think what it is really important is that all parties abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law, and that includes the respect and protection of minorities.”

Taking questions from reporters, Ms. Throssell said that a small UN human rights office team has been deployed to Damascus which had established “initial contacts with the caretaker authorities” headed by Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham leader Ahmed al-Sharaa. 

His forces were principally responsible for the lightning assault that toppled former President Assad on 8 December.

Asked to respond to unconfirmed reports that women were being assaulted because they had been talking to or walking in the street with men who were not relatives, Ms. Throssell insisted that it was “important that the caretaker authorities must act to ensure that security is restored.

She said it was vital “that those accused of committing crimes are held accountable and that women, children and diverse ethnic and religious communities can fully exercise their rights.” – UN News