Country: Syrian Arab Republic Source: Amnesty International Please refer to the attached file. The Syrian government must urgently step up efforts to prevent gender-based violence and promptly, thoroughly and impartially investigate cases of abducted and kidnapped Alawite women and girls, and hold perpetrators accountable, Amnesty International said today.Since February 2025, Amnesty International has received credible reports of at least 36 Alawite women and girls, aged between three and 40, abducted and kidnapped across Latakia, Tartous, Homs, and Hama governorates by unidentified individuals. From these cases, Amnesty International documented the abduction and kidnapping in broad daylight of five Alawite women and three Alawite girls below the age of 18.In all but one of the documented cases, police and security officials failed to effectively investigate the women and girls’ fates and whereabouts. On 22 July, the fact-finding committee established by President al-Sharaa to investigate killings on Syria’s coast stated that it had not received any reports of girls or women being abducted.“The authorities in Syria have repeatedly promised to build a Syria for all Syrians, yet they are failing to stop abductions and kidnappings of women and girls, to prevent physical abuse, forced marriage and likely trafficking in persons, to effectively investigate and to prosecute those responsible. The Alawite community, already devastated by previous massacres, has been deeply shaken by this wave of abductions. Women and girls are afraid to leave the house or walk alone,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.In all eight cases documented by Amnesty International, families reported to police or security services that their female relatives had been abducted and kidnapped. In four cases, new evidence provided by families was dismissed or never acknowledged. Families consistently received no updates on the progress of the investigations. In two cases, police and security officers blamed the family of the woman or girl for the abduction.In one case, the abductor sent a family a picture of their relative, who appeared physically beaten. In two cases, the abductor or an intermediary demanded ransom from the families ranging from $10,000 to $14,000 (USD). Only one of these families was able to pay, but the woman was not released by the captor. In at least three cases, the abducted person, including in one case, a minor, was likely subjected to forced marriage by the captor.Many interviewees said that women and girls, primarily from the Alawite community, but also others living in the affected governorates, are now afraid or extremely cautious when leaving their homes to attend school, university, or work.An activist who recently visited Syria’s coastal region said: “All women are on full alert. We can’t take a taxi alone, walk alone, or do anything without feeling afraid. Even though I’m not Alawite, and my family was initially skeptical about the abductions, they still asked me not to go anywhere alone and to be extra cautious.”We call on the Syrian authorities to act swiftly and transparently in locating missing women and girls, bringing perpetrators to justice, and providing affected families with timely, gender-sensitive and credible information and support.Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.“We call on the Syrian authorities to act swiftly and transparently in locating missing women and girls, bringing perpetrators to justice, and providing affected families with timely, gender-sensitive and credible information and support,” said Agnès Callamard.Amnesty International interviewed close relatives of eight women and girls who were abducted between February 2025 and June 2025. In four cases, the families were contacted by the abductors from Syrian or foreign phone numbers, including from Iraq, UAE, and Türkiye, either to demand a ransom or to threaten the families if they searched for their loved ones.Only two of the eight victims have been able to return to their families. Amnesty International is unaware of any arrests being made, charges being brought or proceedings begun against people responsible for any of the eight abductions and kidnappings.The organization also received reports of 28 additional abductions and kidnappings from two activists, two journalists, and the Syrian Feminist Lobby, an independent human rights organization. Of these, 14 women and girls have been released. The fate and whereabouts of the rest remain unknown.The organization cross-checked these cases with other sources, including phone conversations, voice messages and screenshots of text conversations between abductors or women and girls and families; video testimonies posted online by family members, which included direct pleas from families to the public for assistance or for the authorities to act, and demands or threats sent by abductors to families.On 27 June, the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria stated that it had documented the abductions of at least six Alawite women by “unidentified individuals” and “credible reports of further abductions have been received.” The commission added that the authorities had opened investigations “into some of these cases.”In May, Amnesty International raised the abductions and kidnappings of Alawite women and girls during a meeting with the Minister of Interior in Damascus. The Minister said that he had ordered the relevant authorities to investigate. On 13 July, Amnesty International wrote to the Minister, sharing its preliminary findings and requesting information on measures the authorities had adopted to ensure the protection of women and girls, the status of investigations, and the steps taken so far to hold perpetrators to account. No response had been received at the time of publication.Disappeared in broad daylightIn six of the cases, families received phone calls or voice messages from the abductors, all of whom were male, or from the abducted women and girls. These calls and voice messages included ransom demands, offers of proof of life, or brief reassurances from the abductor or women and girls claiming they were in good health.One relative recounted: “She went to the city. Her family expected her back early afternoon, which is when the last taxi to her village leaves. She texted the family that she had arrived and then, a few hours later, instead of seeing her return, the family received a call from a foreign number saying, ‘Don’t wait for her to come back. We are calling to let you know. Don’t try to search for her.’”A few weeks later, proof of life was provided along with a ransom request. The family paid the ransom, but the woman was not released.In another case, an interviewee reported that her relative, a girl, had been with family members when she left their sight for a short while and never returned. After a few days, the family received a call from the abductor providing proof of life and requesting a hefty ransom.Gender-based violenceWhile some families still do not know what happened to their missing loved ones, two abducted women, who were married when abducted, contacted their family to request a divorce from their husbands, informing them that they would be or already had been newly married to their abductor, indicating that they had been subjected to forced marriage or coerced to ask for divorce.One relative said: “Three days after her disappearance, the family received voice notes from a foreign number. It was her. She said, ‘I am fine…Don’t worry about me…. He didn’t hurt me, but he married me. He told me I can’t go back…’”In a separate case, a minor was abducted for ransom. The family was later informed by General Security, Syria’s security forces, that the girl had been “married off”. Amnesty International independently verified the details of the case, confirming that the marriage took place without the consent of the girl’s parents and likely without judicial approval, making it illegal under Syrian law.Amnesty International received a photo showing that a girl under 18 who was abducted for ransom had been beaten, allegedly by the captor. In another case, Amnesty International reviewed a video of a family member explaining that the captor, who abducted his female relative as well as her son, had shaved her hair for refusing to marry her captor.Forced marriage is a human rights abuse that could put the woman or girl at risk of a range of further abuse, including additional forms of sexual violence, other forms of physical abuse, and other mistreatment. The abduction and kidnapping of women and girls, as described above, may also amount to trafficking in persons, prohibited under international law, if, for example, they were transported, transferred or harboured for the purpose of exploitation. The authorities must take all measures to prevent and punish these forms of abuse and ensure comprehensive assistance to victims and survivors.In addition, the right to liberty and security of a person is protected under international law and is violated where a state fails to properly exercise their duty to stop deprivation by third parties. International law also prohibits torture and other forms of ill treatment and requires states to take steps to prevent it occurring and mount adequate investigations where it is alleged to have occurred.Failure of authorities to effectively investigateIn all eight cases, families formally reported the disappearance of their loved ones to the authorities, including local police and General Security, either in the area where the abduction and kidnapping occurred or in their place of residence. However, in all but one case, authorities failed to provide any updates to the family or information on the progress of the investigations.For example, the relative of a woman abducted in February 2025 followed up with the security forces multiple times and even shared the phone number of the alleged abductor who had contacted them. Despite this, by July 2025, the family had received no information or update from the authorities.In three cases, relatives told Amnesty International that police and security forces either blamed them for the abduction, such as by accusing them of negligence for allowing their relatives to run errands during the day, mocked them for failing to protect the woman or girl, or dismissed concrete leads and evidence that could help locate their relative, claiming it was unimportant or fake, despite its clear credibility.A relative of a woman taken from her home recounted the family’s desperate efforts to locate her: “The family went to General Security and filed an official report, but the treatment was awful… They blamed the family for not being able to stop the abduction… The family regretted going. For weeks the family returned [to General Security], but nothing changed. They just told them nothing had happened, and we have no idea who took her.”Relatives who received ransom demands, including relatives of a minor, told Amnesty International that General Security was made aware of every phone call, number, and communication related to ransom demands. They even provided the names of the individuals to whom the payments were to be transferred, yet no action appeared to be taken by law enforcement.In cases where the women and girls were released, family members often stopped communicating about their cases. They explained this was largely out of fear of retaliation from the perpetrators, who had not been arrested, and from the authorities, who had told families to keep quiet and ordered the survivors to deny the abductions had occurred.All women in Syria deserve to live free from fear of abuse, discrimination and persecution.Agnès Callamard.“Authorities have a legal and moral responsibility to act to prevent and punish gender-based violence. All women in Syria deserve to live free from fear of abuse, discrimination and persecution. Investigations must be prompt and thorough, led by independent investigators with full access to the necessary resources. Accountability must be pursued, and reparation should be provided. A failure to do so is a human rights violation,” said Agnès Callamard.