- Verified videos and eyewitness testimony reveal 46 Druze men and women deliberately and unlawfully killed
- Extrajudicial executions were carried out by government and government affiliated forces in military and security uniforms, some bearing official insignia
- Executions took place in a public square, residential homes, a school, a hospital and a ceremonial hall in Suwayda governorate
The Syrian government must hold members of government security and military forces and members of affiliated forces accountable for the extrajudicial executions of Druze men and women in Suwayda, said Amnesty International.
The organization has documented compelling new evidence indicating that government and government-affiliated forces were responsible for the extrajudicial executions of Druze people on 15 and 16 July in Suwayda. This includes verified videos of armed men in security and military uniforms, some bearing official insignia, executing unarmed people in homes, a public square, a school, and a hospital. On 31 July, the Ministry of Justice established a committee to investigate violations that occurred in Suwayda and to hold those responsible accountable.
What hurt me the most was seeing my son’s body dance as the bullets [by security forces] pierced him.A father who decided to relocate his family to the countryside
“When government security or military forces deliberately and unlawfully kill someone, or when affiliated forces do so with government complicity or acquiescence, that constitutes an extrajudicial execution, which is a crime under international law. The Syrian government must promptly, independently, impartially and transparently investigate these executions and hold perpetrators accountable in fair proceedings, without recourse to the death penalty,” said Diana Semaan, Amnesty International’s Syria Researcher.
“The horrific human rights violations in Suwayda are yet another grim reminder of the deadly consequences of impunity for sectarian-based killings in Syria, which has emboldened government and affiliated forces to kill without fear of accountability. Following the unlawful killings of hundreds of civilians from the Alawite minority and the continued absence of justice, this violence against members of the Druze minority leaves another community devastated, fuels further unrest, and undermines faith that the government will credibly deliver truth, justice, and reparations for all those in the country that have endured decades of crimes under international law and other serious human right violations.”
Between 11 and 12 July, tensions flared in southern Syria between Druze armed groups and Bedouin tribal fighters, leading to armed clashes. On 15 July, government forces said they had entered Suwayda city to “restore stability” and imposed a curfew. On the same day, Israel carried out air strikes against Syrian military vehicles, killing at least 15 members of government forces. Emerging reports of human rights violations by government and affiliated forces in Suwayda triggered renewed fighting with Druze armed groups, leading to significant escalation of violence, which ended with the withdrawal of government forces late at night on July 16.
Amnesty International documented the deliberate shooting and killing of 46 Druze people (44 men and two women), as well as the mock execution of two older persons on 15 July and 16 July. These executions by government and government-affiliated forces occurred in a public square, residential homes, a school, a hospital and a ceremonial hall in Suwayda governorate.
In the days these extrajudicial executions were committed, armed men in Suwayda directed sectarian slogans at members of the Druze community and subjected religious men to humiliating treatment, such as the forcible shaving of their moustaches, which are culturally significant.
Amnesty International interviewed 13 people in Suwayda and two people from Suwayda living abroad. Among the 15 interviewees, eight had family members who were executed, one of whom witnessed the executions of their family members and another the executions of a group of people firsthand. Five visited separate execution sites and saw their family members’ and other people’s bodies. One woman’s parents were subjected to a mock execution, and two other interviewees were held with their families and threatened at gunpoint while armed men in military uniform searched their home.
The Evidence Lab, Amnesty International’s digital investigations team, verified 22 videos and photos shared with its researchers or posted on social media between 15 July and 10 August and conducted weapons analysis. Amnesty International also collected testimonies from witnesses and family members of those who were executed or whose bodies were visible in the videos. The organization also reviewed photos and videos taken in and around Suwayda between 14 and 17 July 2025 and published by the media in its analysis of the armed actors present in the area.
Amnesty International has also received credible reports of abductions committed by Druze armed groups and Bedouin tribal fighters between 17 and 19 July. The organization is currently investigating these reports.
On 12 August, Amnesty International wrote to the Syrian Ministers of Interior and Defence, sharing its preliminary findings and requesting information on the status of the government’s investigation into the events, including the role of state forces, steps taken to hold perpetrators to account, and the measures taken before, during and in the aftermath of the fighting to protect people from violations and abuses. No response had been received at the time of publication.
Deployed to ‘protect’
All of the 46 extrajudicial executions documented by Amnesty International occurred in Suwayda city or its outskirts on 15 and 16 July, after government forces had entered the city and declared a curfew, and before their withdrawal.
On 22 July, the Minister of Defence said that he was aware of “shocking and serious violations committed by an unknown group wearing military uniforms in the city of Suwayda” (emphasis added). Two months earlier, on 23 May, the Minister of Defense announced that the largest former armed groups active in Syria had been integrated into the Syrian army and gave the remaining smaller groups a 10-day deadline to comply or face a strict response.
The horrific human rights violations in Suwayda are yet another grim reminder of the deadly consequences of impunity for sectarian-based killings in Syria, which has emboldened government and affiliated forces to kill without fear of accountability.Diana Semaan, Amnesty International
According to the evidence compiled by Amnesty International ,men involved in carrying out the executions were wearing various types of clothing: military uniforms identifiable by camouflage print or beige or olive plain colour, plain clothes with military-style vests, and plain black uniforms consistent with those worn by official security forces – some of which bore “General Security” insignia.
Most armed men in military and security uniforms visible in the videos and images verified by Amnesty International did not wear identifiable insignia. However, Amnesty International verified videos showing armed men in uniform, without insignia, riding trucks clearly marked with the Ministry of Interior’s logo, and videos that showed armed men wearing different uniforms, some without and some with clear government insignia, working together in the immediate lead up to an execution in the national hospital.
At least four armed men in military uniforms who appeared in videos verified by the organization wore a black patch bearing the Islamic declaration of faith, a symbol commonly associated with the Islamic State (IS). However, IS has neither claimed responsibility for, nor commented on, the attacks in Suwayda. Three of these fighters, including one wearing a plain-black uniform, were filmed working alongside members of the Syrian security forces. Amnesty International also found two pictures, from May and January 2025, in which members of the Syrian military and security forces appear wearing the same patch.
“Instead of fearing justice, men in military and security uniforms, and men affiliated with them, filmed themselves executing people in Suwayda. An independent and impartial investigation is crucial to identify perpetrators, hold them accountable and address impunity,” said Diana Semaan.
Executions filmed by armed men
Videos verified by Amnesty International’s Evidence Lab show armed men in military uniforms executing at least 12 men by gunfire – one at a school, eight at a public square, and three at a residential apartment. The organization interviewed close relatives and residents to confirm their identities.
One video showed at least eight men in military uniforms armed with AK-pattern rifles inside a residential apartment. They shot at three men from the al-Arnous family while forcing them to jump from the balcony. A relative of the victims told Amnesty International that the incident happened on 16 July, and that a fourth member of the family, Bashar al-Arnous, not shown in the video, was executed on the same day. His body was found with three gunshots to the chest, head and stomach around 12m away from the bodies of his two adult children and adult nephew. The residential building is located approximately 150 meters away from the Military Police building, which government forces took control of when they entered Suwayda city on 15 July.
Amnesty International documented the executions of eight men in Tishreen square [also known as Khaldoun Zeinedine square]. A verified video filmed by one of the perpetrators shows eight men dressed in civilian clothes surrounded by armed men. The men are escorted down a road leading to the square by at least 12 men armed with AK-pattern rifles and wearing military uniforms with different prints or tactical gear. One of the armed men is wearing a plain black uniform.
Two other videos show the eight men kneeling at Tishreen square with their hands on their heads. The armed men yell at the men before opening fire – multiple rifles are heard firing continuously for over 15 seconds. Analysis of the shadows indicate the videos were filmed around 7am. A witness told Amnesty International that on 16 July, between 6am and 7am, he saw armed men in military uniforms shooting several men who were kneeling in the square. The organization verified other videos, corroborated by the witness, that show government forces and government-affiliated forces in and around Tishreen square on 16 July.
Another verified video shows a man in civilian clothing sitting at the entrance of a public school in Tha’la village in Suwayda countryside, being questioned by at least three armed men in military uniforms armed with AK-pattern variants, including at least one AKM. In the video, the armed men ask him if he is “Muslim or Druze?” The man replies that he is Syrian. When one of them asks again, the man replies that he is Druze, prompting the armed men to shoot him. Three people from Tha’la village told Amnesty International that the execution of the man at the public school occurred on 15 July and that armed men in military unforms with various prints and men in plain black uniforms with General Security insignia had entered the village with heavy machinery, including tanks, early that day.
‘They killed us in cold blood’
A woman told Amnesty International that her two brothers and nephew, along with four other men staying together, were executed on 16 July at around 5:30pm in a home close to the national hospital.
She recalled how she and other families thought that as civilians they would be safe. “Instead, they killed us in cold blood,” she said. She described how they had seen tanks going back and forth in the neighbourhood all day before three armed men dressed in beige military uniforms carrying weapons knocked on their door: “One of them said: ‘Open the door, you are safe’. My brother immediately opened the door… and welcomed them in… They searched the house. They took [all of] the men to an unfinished building next to us… [Then] I heard the gunshots. I peeked from the door. I saw the two soldiers, I didn’t see the third one…”
She said one of the soldiers saw her looking and shot towards her. The men did not return that night: “The next day, when government forces left, we woke up to the sound of screams. Our neighbours found the men killed in the unfinished building [next door].”
The same day, on 16 July, in a residential home by Tishreen square, armed men wearing military uniforms shot a 70-year-old man in a wheelchair along with two of his relatives, according to a close relative.
On 15 July, a father who decided to relocate his family to the countryside amid growing reports that Druze men were being executed described how his three sons and three nephews were shot dead at a checkpoint manned by two men in black uniforms. He and his wife were driving ahead in one car, while their son followed behind in another car, accompanied by his two brothers and three cousins.
He said: “The security forces asked me if the car behind was with me. I said yes. Both officers then walked toward my son’s car. I watched through the rear-view mirror. I saw my son smile at them and say salam aalykom [peace be with you]. One of the officers stepped back, returned the greeting, and suddenly opened fire – just like that. Then the second officer began shooting too. What hurt me the most was seeing my son’s body dance as the bullets pierced him.”
Amnesty International verified images of the aftermath showing a sedan car with shattered windows and at least 60 projectile impacts fired from two different angles.
Execution at the National Hospital
Amnesty International also documented the execution of a medical worker at a hospital in Suwayda by armed men in military uniforms, in the presence of other armed men and a member of the general security.
Verified CCTV footage shows at least 15 armed men at the hospital’s entrance on 16 July. Twelve of them wear military uniforms, two of which have the black patches bearing the Islamic declaration of faith. Three are wearing a General Security uniform. Three others are in civilian clothes.
One video, timestamped at 3:24 pm on 16 July, shows seven armed men, some seen in the previous video, including the one wearing the General Security uniform and one wearing the patch with the Islamic declaration of faith, enter the hospital’s entrance hall. They gather at least 38 people, most of them wearing medical scrubs, and make them kneel with their hands up.
One medical worker, Mohammed Rafiq al-Bahsas, appears to try to engage with the armed men, but, apparently at the orders of the man in black uniform, is pulled out of the group, struck on the head and tackled to the ground while lying on the floor surrounded by armed men. Al-Bahsas appears to plead for his life raising his hands. One armed man in military uniform picks up a rifle and shoots him twice at point blank range. He is immediately shot with a handgun by another man, also in military uniform. Twenty-seven seconds later, another armed man in military uniform drags Al-Bahsas’ body away.
