ROCHELLE JUNİOR

As-Suwayda — Since the fall of the Assad regime, which was oppressive on all levels, Syrians looked forward to a new phase filled with hope for rebuilding the country and achieving a better life. Although they knew that reconstruction would take time, they considered it a natural price for freedom. However, what came after the regime’s fall was not the beginning of revival, but the beginning of a new chapter of conflict and disorder.

After Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) took power, the dispute was no longer about how to rebuild Syria, but about the lives of Syrians themselves. HTS, with its jihadist fighters, turned against various sects and ethnicities—Druze, Christians, Alawites—as if attempting to impose a single identity and a single religion on the country, ignoring Syria’s long history of diversity and coexistence.

“HTS practiced direct hostility against Syrian sects”

Samaher Al-Andari, a political activist from As-Suwayda, says:

“In reality, we cannot say that Syria has been liberated, nor can we say the previous regime has truly fallen. Power was simply handed over unofficially from Bashar Al-Assad to Abu Mohammed Al-Julani. There was no military coup to call it liberation—just a transfer of authority to groups whose jihadist, ISIS-like background is well known.”

She added, “We followed everything closely and with great caution. We had already suffered in 2018 when ISIS entered the eastern villages of As-Suwayda, so we had an existing fear of these groups.”

Samaher explained that HTS came to power promising security and safety, yet:

“What we witnessed was the complete opposite. They began with clear hostility towards minorities. We saw the killings they committed on the coast—women, children, and men. Those who claimed to be fighting the regime left, but the poor people who had nothing to do with politics remained.”

“The new constitution resembles an Islamic emirate ruled by extremists”

The newly announced constitutional declaration, according to Al-Andari, “took us from one stage to an even worse one—a stage that resembles an Islamic emirate ruled by extremist factions that do not recognize diversity or women’s rights. They view women as ‘awrah’ (a source of shame).”

She added:

“We are a naturally civilized nation—educated and cultured—a people who see civilization in its religious, sectarian, cultural, and secular diversity. We lived in harmony with everyone: Christians, Sunnis, Alawites. But what we have seen from the interim government this past year is the targeting of minorities in the coast, Homs, As-Suwayda, and even Kurds and Christians. Their real face—rejecting the existence of any other group in power—has begun to appear.”

She criticized the selective appointments in government posts:

“In the referendum and constitutional announcement, most participants were from Idlib, and the ministers and officials all belonged to the same ideological camp. This confirms that we are heading toward a sea of blood, because this government is revealing its hidden, minority-hostile face.”

She described the year as:

“A black year in every sense, especially for minorities. We saw fabricated videos and orchestrated events that created a sea of blood.”

A Full Year of Chaos and Security Collapse

Tima Al-Shaarani, from the village of Al-Dour—one of the first villages HTS fighters entered during their July attack on As-Suwayda—said that:

“A transitional government was formed a year ago with the declared goal of rebuilding Syria, but it failed and was unable to impose real control on the ground.”

She believes the reason lies in:

“The formation of large armed factions with jihadist, terrorist characteristics and conflicting areas of influence, which resulted in an entire year of chaos, security collapse, the disintegration of state institutions, and the control of these groups over large areas of Syria—leading to severe violations.”

Tima sees the violence against Alawites, Druze, Christians, and minorities in general as linked to the policies of the previous government under Bashar Al-Assad inflammatory rhetoric that deepened societal divisions and the security collapse that allowed such abuses to flourish

She added:

“The phenomenon of kidnapping minority women has increased noticeably. This method is now used for extortion and pressure amid the collapse of law and absence of accountability, leaving perpetrators immune from punishment.”

Escalation of Violence Against Women

Reema Azzam confirmed that a full year has passed since the fall of the previous regime, and:

“Unfortunately, no achievement has been made. On the contrary, violations against Syrians increased—especially against minorities. The kidnapping and trafficking of minority women intensified, and As-Suwayda witnessed massacres and large-scale abuses.”

She asked:

“What liberation are we talking about? Nothing has changed. We simply moved from a filthy regime to an even filthier one.”

She concluded that the violations committed in As-Suwayda against Christians, Druze, and Alawites are the result of:

“A government now ruled by extremist groups that do not understand human rights or citizens’ rights. There are no trials, no accountability.”