Violations persist across Syria one year after Assad’s fall – OHCHR
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) warned on Friday that serious human rights violations continue across Syria nearly one year after the fall of the former Assad regime, urging the transitional authorities to take stronger, more systematic measures to ensure accountability and protect civilians.
Speaking at a press briefing, OHCHR spokesperson Thameen al-Kheetan said that while the transitional government has launched several promising initiatives, “these steps are only the beginning of what needs to be done.”
Al-Kheetan added that the authorities have established national commissions on transitional justice and missing persons, formed investigative bodies into violence in the coastal region and in Suwayda, and released a draft law on transitional justice.
Trials have also begun for suspects involved in the coastal-area attacks. “Encouraging as these developments are, they fall short of addressing the scale and complexity of ongoing abuses,” he said.
OHCHR continues to document reports of summary executions, arbitrary killings and abductions, with hundreds killed since the regime’s collapse.
Violations have been attributed to security forces under the transitional authorities, armed groups linked to them, remnants of the former government, local factions and unidentified individuals.
Communities including Alawites, Druze, Christians and Bedouins have been disproportionately affected, amid a surge in hate speech both online and on the streets.
The past year has also seen continued Israeli military operations inside Syria, including incursions and territorial occupation, leading to civilian casualties and arrests, al-Kheetan noted.
OHCHR stressed that integrating former armed groups into the country’s new security forces without proper vetting risks embedding perpetrators of past violations into state structures.
High Commissioner Volker Türk urged authorities to “address the root causes” of abuses, ensure independent investigations and guarantee justice and reparations for victims.