More than 3,200 activists from As Suwayda Governorate and across Syria signed a statement calling for independent organizations to investigate the incidents in As Suwayda. They rejected what they called attempts by transitional authorities, whether through the Ministry of Defense or any other entity appointed by the executive, to oversee such investigations.
The statement, which was circulated and opened for signatures on 28 July 2025, called on the UN Security Council (UNSC) and the United Nations (UN) to urgently and firmly compel the Syrian transitional authorities to allow the entry of members of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria (COI-Syria) and the International, Impartial, and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) into As Suwayda Governorate and other regions. Syrians for Truth and Justice (STJ) joins the signatories in calling for an independent judicial body, the COI-Syria, and the IIIM to investigate all human rights violations.
The statement text, as issued by the source:
We, a group of men and women from As Suwayda Governorate, including the families of victims and the bereaved, Syrian activists inside Syria and in the diaspora, civil society organizations, and Syrian civic figures, hereby express our strong opposition to any attempts by the transitional authorities, represented by the Ministry of Defense or any other body appointed by the executive branch, to investigate the violations that occurred in As Suwayda Governorate.
We clearly insist that an independent judicial body, along with the COI-Syria and the IIIM, investigate all human rights violations, war crimes, and crimes against humanity committed in the governorate, as well as those previously carried out in Jaramana, Sahnaya, and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya.
Our demands are grounded in the UN-mandated authority of both the COI-Syria and the IIIM, and stem from the disappointing outcome of the Independent National Committee for Investigation and Fact-Finding on the Coastal Violence, established by the executive branch, which failed to conduct an independent, transparent, and impartial investigation into the mass killings and violations of March 2025.
Therefore, we urge the UNSC and the UN to press the Syrian transitional authorities immediately and earnestly to grant access to the COI-Syria and the IIIM to As Suwayda Governorate and other affected areas. This access should allow for the prompt gathering of evidence related to all human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, severe abuses like sexual violence, forced displacement, looting, destruction of property, enforced disappearances, and abductions, especially in light of reports indicating many women abducted or missing. We also call for investigations into all other breaches of international humanitarian law (IHL) and International Human Rights Law (IHRL).
We further call on the Syrian transitional authorities to ensure safe and immediate access for these entities to the affected areas without obstruction. We reaffirm our opposition to any involvement of the transitional authorities or their representatives in such investigations, as they are responsible for the violations that occurred and cannot be perceived as a neutral party acceptable to the victims and their families.
To present the full list of signatories and signatory entities, please click here.