28-07-2025
Amnesty International: 36 Alawite women abducted in Syria
Shafaq News – Damascus
Dozens of Alawite women and girls have been abducted across central and coastal Syria in recent months, Amnesty International said on Monday, warning of growing fear and impunity as authorities fail to respond.
The group documented eight cases since February across the provinces of Latakia, Tartus, Homs, and Hama. Although families reported the incidents to the authorities, police and security forces have largely failed to investigate. In two instances, officials placed blame on the families, while only two victims were eventually released safely.
Agnès Callamard, Amnesty 's Secretary-General, described the kidnappings as 'deeply unsettling for the Alawite community,' highlighting that women and girls now fear leaving their homes unaccompanied.
She also urged Syrian authorities to step up efforts and prevent gender-based violence, further calling for swift, and impartial investigations into the abductions.
Despite the scale of the violence, Amnesty spokesperson Yasser Arwanhan emphasized that Syrian authorities maintain they have received no reports of abducted girls.
Tensions escalated in March, when sectarian violence erupted across Syria's coastal region, leaving approximately 1,700 people dead over three days—mostly Alawites—according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
A government committee later recorded 1,426 victims. However, the Syrian government maintained these incidents were isolated, rejecting claims they were systematic or sectarian.
