Head of UN rights office urges accountability for killings in Syria's Sweida

18/7/2025 17:55

The head of the United Nations human rights office called on Friday for Syria's interim authorities to ensure accountability and justice for killings and rights violations in the southern city of Sweida.



Syria's government sent troops this week to the predominantly Druze city to quell fighting between Bedouins and Druze, but the violence grew until a ceasefire was declared.



The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said it had received credible reports of widespread rights violations during the fighting.



These included reports of summary executions, kidnappings and destruction of private property by security forces and individuals linked to Syria's interim authorities, as well as other armed elements including Druze and Bedouins.



"This bloodshed and the violence must stop, and the protection of all people must be the utmost priority, in line with international human rights law," OHCHR High Commissioner Volker Turk said in a statement.