UN Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al Kheetan on Syria
/
1:52
/
MP4
/
273 MB
Download

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al Kheetan on Syria

So far, the Office has documented the killing of 111 civilians, but the process of verification is ongoing, and the actual number of people killed is believed to be significantly higher, spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan told the biweekly press briefing in Geneva.

Many of the cases documented were of summary executions. They appear to have been carried out on a sectarian basis, in Tartus, Latakia and Hama governorates - reportedly by unidentified armed individuals, members of armed groups allegedly supporting the caretaker authorities’ security forces, and by elements associated with the former government,” he said.

In a number of extremely disturbing instances, entire families - including women, children and individuals hors de combat - were killed, with predominantly Alawite cities and villages targeted in particular,” he added.

According to many testimonies collected by the Office, perpetrators raided houses, asking residents whether they were Alawite or Sunni before proceeding to either kill or spare them accordingly.

Some survivors told us that many men were shot dead in front of their families,” Al-Kheetan said.

Between 6 and 7 March, armed individuals reportedly affiliated with the former government’s security forces also raided several hospitals in Latakia, Tartus and Baniyas. They clashed with security forces of the caretaker authorities and affiliated armed groups. This reportedly resulted in dozens of civilian casualties, including patients, doctors and medical students, and damage to the hospitals.

Other violations and abuses recorded in recent days include widespread looting of homes and shops, mainly by unidentified individuals who appear to have taken advantage of the chaotic situation on the ground. Many civilians have fled their homes to rural areas, while a number also reportedly sought refuge at an airbase controlled by Russian forces in the area.

The caretaker authorities announced the end of security operations in the coastal areas on 10 March. However, intermittent clashes continue to be reported.

The UN Human Rights Office has documented accounts and footage of violations and abuses. But tensions have also been fueled by mounting hate speech, online and offline, and widespread dissemination of misinformation, including footage taken out of context, which further exacerbated fear among the population, the spokesperson said.

We are concerned that the significant spike in hate speech and misinformation risks further inflaming tensions and damaging social cohesion in Syrian society,” he highlighted.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urges accountability for all these crimes. He welcomes the announcement by the caretaker authorities of an independent investigation committee and calls on them to ensure that the investigations undertaken are prompt, thorough, independent and impartial.

All those found responsible for violations must be held to account, regardless of their affiliation, in line with international law norms and standards. Victims and their families have the right to truth, justice and reparations.

To ensure such harrowing violations and abuses are not repeated, it is imperative that the process of vetting and integrating armed factions into Syria’s military structures is in line with the country’s obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law and fully addresses the responsibility of all those who were involved in past or recent violations of human rights in Syria,” Al-Kheetan said.

For more information and media requests, please contact:

Ravina Shamdasani: +41 22 917 9169 / ravina.shamdasani@un.org

Thameen Al-Kheetan: +41 22 917 4232 / thameen.alkheetan@un.org

Tag and share - Twitter: @UNHumanRights and Facebook: unitednationshumanrights

STORY: UN Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan on Syria: Distressing scale of violence in coastal areas

TRT: 01:51

SOURCE: OHCHR/UNOG
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: English/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 11 March 2025 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

SHOTLIST

  1. Exterior shot : Palais des Nations
  2. Interior shot : Briefing room
  3. SOUNDBITE (English)—Thameen Al-Kheetan, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):Many of the cases documented were of summary executions. They appear to have been carried out on a sectarian basis, in Tartus, Latakia and Hama governorates - reportedly by unidentified armed individuals, members of armed groups allegedly supporting the caretaker authorities’ security forces, and by elements associated with the former government.”
  4. Cut away: Briefing room
  5. SOUNDBITE (English)—Thameen Al-Kheetan, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):In a number of extremely disturbing instances, entire families - including women, children and individuals hors de combat - were killed, with predominantly Alawite cities and villages targeted in particular.”
  6. Cut away: Briefing room
  7. SOUNDBITE (English)—Thameen Al-Kheetan, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):Some survivors told us that many men were shot dead in front of their families.”
  8. Cut away: Briefing room
  9. SOUNDBITE (English)—Thameen Al-Kheetan, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):We are concerned that the significant spike in hate speech and misinformation risks further inflaming tensions and damaging social cohesion in Syrian society.”
  10. Cut away: Briefing room
  11. SOUNDBITE (English)—Thameen Al-Kheetan, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):To ensure such harrowing violations and abuses are not repeated, it is imperative that the process of vetting and integrating armed factions into Syria’s military structures is in line with the country’s obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law and fully addresses the responsibility of all those who were involved in past or recent violations of human rights in Syria.”
  12. Cut away: Briefing room


Documents 1
Download Storyline
Download

Audio Files 1
Download UN Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al Kheetan on Syria
Download

Similar Stories

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on Sudan attacks

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on Sudan attacks ENG FRA

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on deadly attacks by the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan 

Gaza City famine – UN OCHA, WFP, WHO, OHCHR 22 August 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | OCHA , OHCHR , UNITED NATIONS , WFP , WHO

Gaza City famine – UN OCHA, WFP, WHO, OHCHR 22 August 2025 ENG FRA

Gaza: Famine “irrefutably” confirmed, UN humanitarians unite in plea for aid access

Famine has been confirmed in Gaza Governorate by the world’s top authority on food security and will spread further within the Strip unless fighting stops and much more aid is allowed in, UN humanitarians said on Friday.

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on Myanmar

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on Myanmar ENG FRA

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on the eighth anniversary of military assault on the Rohingya in Myanmar

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on famine in Gaza

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on famine in Gaza ENG FRA

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on the declared famine in Gaza Governorate

 

World Humanitarian Day Commemoration - 19 August 2025

3

36

1

2

Edited News , Statements , Images , Conferences | HRC , OCHA , UNOG

World Humanitarian Day Commemoration - 19 August 2025 ENG FRA

A record 383 aid workers were killed last year with hundreds more wounded, kidnapped and detained, the UN’s top aid official said on Tuesday in a call for accountability, at a solemn ceremony in Geneva to mark World Humanitarian Day.

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al Kheetan on treatment of Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouthi inside an Israeli jail

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al Kheetan on treatment of Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouthi inside an Israeli jail ENG FRA

UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan made the following statement at today’s biweekly press briefing in Geneva: 

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al Kheetan on Gaza

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al Kheetan on Gaza ENG FRA

In Gaza, the Israeli army has intensified its attacks in the north of the strip,” UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan told the biweekly press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.

Gaza aid blockages OHCHR - OCHA

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , OCHA

Gaza aid blockages OHCHR - OCHA ENG FRA

Gaza: Aid insufficient to avert ‘widespread starvation’ as Israeli military ramp-up forces more people to flee

The small trickle of aid entering Gaza is totally insufficient to alleviate starvation and displacement in the Strip, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.

Gaza health update - WHO

1

1

1

Edited News | WHO

Gaza health update - WHO ENG FRA

Gaza: Hospitals continue to overflow with people injured while seeking food - WHO 

As besieged Palestinian civilians face widespread malnutrition and starvation, hospitals in the Strip are increasingly overwhelmed by the influx of victims of shootings and other injuries at food distribution areas, warns the World Health Organization.

 

Sudan update UNHCR - WHO - UNMAS

1

1

1

Edited News | UNHCR , WHO , UNMAS

Sudan update UNHCR - WHO - UNMAS ENG FRA

Urgent help is needed to halt a deadly cholera outbreak that is sweeping across Sudan, UN agencies said on Friday, while warning that communities continue to be terrorized by parties to the conflict even as they flee violence.

UNEP Press conference: Plastic Pollution (INC-5.2)- 05 August 2025

2

2

1

2

Press Conferences , Edited News , Images | UNEP

UNEP Press conference: Plastic Pollution (INC-5.2)- 05 August 2025 ENG FRA

Negotiations got under way at UN Geneva on Tuesday to agree on a legally binding treaty to curb plastic pollution, with delegates from nearly 180 countries attending.

Gaza aid update OCHA - UNICEF

1

1

1

Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF

Gaza aid update OCHA - UNICEF ENG FRA

Gaza: Hundreds of trucks per day of free aid needed “for months”, in addition to commercial supplies - OCHA

Despite the tactical pauses Israel introduced last week to allow some safe passage for humanitarian convoys, the amount of aid that has entered Gaza remains by far insufficient for the starving population, and UN trucks continue to face impediments on their way to delivering aid.