1 September 2025
Numerous academics from Turkey (Turkiye) have drawn urgent attention to the recent surge in mass killings and systematic repression of Alawite (Alevi) communities in Syria, and have issued an urgent call to the international community. In the statement titled “Call to the International Community on the Mass Killings and Systematic Destruction of Alawites in Syria,” referencing UN reports and data from independent human rights organizations, they emphasized that thousands of Alawite civilians have been killed, villages burned, forced displacement is occurring, and executions have become systematic.
The academics stated that these violations constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity under international humanitarian law, affirming that the silence must end.
The full text of the statement titled “Call to the International Community on the Mass Killings and Systematic Destruction of Alawites in Syria” reads as follows:
“We, who stand in solidarity with Alawite citizens in our own country—citizens who have always lived under threat and suffered severe discrimination—and who are defenders and producers of science for peace, equality, democratic life, and for humanity, nature, and society, are following the developments in Syria with deep concern.
Our concern stems from the fact that, since the outbreak of the conflict in Syria in 2011, among all the grave human rights violations committed, the crimes against Alawites have been rendered almost invisible compared to those against other communities.
This dangerous silence, both in our own country and around the world, regarding what is happening in Syria, has greatly increased the anxiety of the Alevi community here and gravely undermines their sense of security.
Mainstream media claims that a “liberal and democratic political structure” is being built in Syria. We find this claim utterly unconvincing. In reality, what is happening is far removed from this narrative and is deeply alarming.
In recent months, as documented in the UN Human Rights Council report dated 11 August 2025 (A/HRC/59/CRP.4), large-scale and systematic human rights violations have taken place in Syria’s coastal and central-western regions—particularly in areas densely populated by Alawite communities. The report states that these violations against civilians were carried out under the orders of the current interim government (Source link: https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/session59/a-hrc-59-crp4-en.pdf )
These violations include: deliberate killings, torture, abductions, extrajudicial executions, sectarian and religious humiliation, public display of corpses, looting, destruction of property and farmland, and attacks on healthcare facilities—acts that constitute war crimes under international humanitarian law.
During the massacres targeting Alawites in March 2025, more than 1,400 Alawites were killed, the vast majority of them civilians, with around 100 women among the victims. In just a few days, these attacks devastated towns such as Banyas, al-Muhtariya, and al-Haffa, leaving a horrific mark through mass executions, mutilation of bodies, and their display on social media.
The UN report emphasizes that there is no evidence that these violations were planned as “state policy” by the interim government, but it highlights that certain security units under government control—and civilians closely associated with them—perpetrated these crimes, while the government failed to fulfill its obligations to prevent and protect.
However, field reports indicate that both the number of those killed and abducted is much higher than reported, and that HTS forces, who currently make up the interim government, bear direct responsibility for these massacres.
For example, according to the Human Rights and Humanitarian Follow-up Committee (Syria) report dated 23 March 2025, during the period when mass killings were most intense (7–9 March), over 2,200 Alawite civilians were slaughtered:
"In the first three days, 25 massacres took place, all documented with evidence. In addition, 811 videos were recorded, and the names of 2,246 victims were verified. Most of the victims were young, but the elderly, children, and women were also among those murdered. They were targeted solely because they belonged to the Alawite faith. Another 42 people from other sects were also killed because they sympathized with these civilians and tried to protect them.”
(Human Rights and Humanitarian Follow-up Committee (Syria), “Who Sows Hatred, Reaps Mass Murder: Genocide on the Syrian Coast – Preliminary Report,” 23.03.2025. Link: https://fhmsihr.org/eng/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/Who_sows_hatred__reaps_mass_murderdocx.pdf )
In the current atmosphere of political instability, terror, and violence, the situation of Alawites is uniquely vulnerable. Under a climate of political repression, sectarianism, and fear, the avenues for the community to openly express and report attacks against them are severely restricted. Furthermore, attempts are being made to blame the Alawite community for the record of violence under the former regime.
In addition to outright massacres, there is also a gradual and covert policy of eradication: forced impoverishment and unemployment leading to hunger and misery, forced displacement, burning of farmland and forests, abductions, torture, extrajudicial executions, and attacks on sacred sites are all part of this policy.
In addition to all this, we strongly condemn the pressure and threats directed at our colleagues and call the attention of the entire international academic community to this matter. It is deeply concerning to see scholars once again being targeted.
We are gravely worried about Dr. Racha el-Ali, a faculty member at Homs University, who was abducted months ago and has not been heard from since. We demand that her safety be ensured immediately.
Another leading figure in the scientific community, chemist Dr. Hassan Ibrahim, was abducted in January 2025 after leaving his workplace. Five days later, he was found in rural Damascus, shot in the head.
Dr. Zahra Hemsiya, a microbiologist who made significant contributions to antibiotic resistance research and public health, was killed in December 2024 during a nighttime armed raid on her home in Damascus (“File on the Alawite Genocide in Syria,” Ehlen Link: https://ehlendergisi.com/index.php/2025/07/25/suriyede-alevi-soykirimi-dosyasi/ ).
These cases are concrete evidence that academic freedom and freedom of thought and expression are also under attack in Syria, and we will continue to pursue accountability for these crimes committed against our colleagues.
We call upon the international community to contribute to building a political climate in Syria—one based on fundamental rights and freedoms—where the voice and demands of the heavily targeted Alawite population can be heard, and to support the establishment of genuine democracy and freedom where all peoples of Syria enjoy equal rights."
Signatories:
Adnan Şahin, Finance;
Ahmet Bülent Özer, Economics;
Albert Ali Salah, Computer Engineering;
Ali Çeliksöz, Microbiology-Parasitology;
Ali Haydar Konca, Law;
Alpar Sevgen, Physics;
Alper Açık, Psychology;
Aslı Kayhan, Sociology;
Aslı Odman, Social Sciences;
Aslı Takanay, Translation Studies;
Aslı Telli, Media and Communication Studies;
Atilla Göktürk, Public Administration;
Aydın Gelmez, Philosophy;
Aydın Ördek, Economics;
Aydoğan Kars, Islamic Studies;
Ayfer Karakaya-Stump, History;
Ayhan Yalçınkaya, Political Science;
Ayşe Gözen, Economics;
Ayşe Gül Yılgör, Business Administration;
Ayşe Serdar, Sociology;
Barış Ünlü, Sociology;
Barış Yapışkan, Physics;
Başak Demir, Sociology;
Bediz Yılmaz, Sociology, Agriculture;
Bedriye Poyraz, Communication Sociology;
Beyza Üstün, Environmental Technology, Political Ecology;
Birgül Kutan, Social Sciences;
Can Candan, Film and Media Studies;
Celil Kaya, International Relations;
Cem Özatalay, Sociology;
Cem Terzi, General Surgery;
Cemre Okumuş, Film Studies;
Cengiz Arın, Political Science;
Cihan Ziya Tuğal, Sociology;
Demet Bolat, Sociology;
Deniz Mardin, Public Health;
Deniz Yonucu, Sociology;
Derya Keskin, Sociology of Work;
Didem Dayı, Visual Communication Design;
Dilşa Deniz, Anthropology;
E. Ahmet Tonak, Economics;
Ece Algan, Communication Sciences;
Ecehan Balta, Political Science;
Elif Sandal Önal, Political Science, Social Psychology;
Emrah Günok, Philosophy;
Engin Karaman, Data Science;
Eren Paydaş, Law;
Ergün Özgür, Migration and Refugee Studies;
Erkan Muniroğlu, Finance;
Esin Gülsen, Political Science;
Esra Ergüzeloğlu, Public Administration;
Esra Mungan, Psychology;
Eylem Çamuroğlu Çiğ, Media and Communication Studies;
Fatma Gök, Educational Sciences;
Feryal Saygılıgil, Sociology;
Fikret Başkaya, Economics and Modern History;
Fırat Karçal, Social Work;
Gençay Gürsoy, Neurology;
Gülhan Türkay, Veterinary Medicine;
Hacer Ansel, Science, Technology, and Society;
Hakan Altun, Theatre;
Hakan Gürvit, Neurology;
Hakan Mertcan, Law;
Halil İbrahim Yenigün, Political Science;
Hasan Şahintürk, Theatre;
Haydar Durak, Pathology;
Heysem Kaya, Computer Science;
Işıl Ünal, Educational Sciences;
İlker Cörüt, Nationalism Studies;
İsmail Kaplan, Pedagogy;
Kenan Engin, Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries;
Koray Sakarya, Environmental Sciences;
Kuban Altınel, Industrial Engineering;
Kumru Toktamış, Political Sociology;
Kuvvet Lordoğlu, Labour Economics;
Latife Akyüz, Sociology;
Leyla Şimşek-Rathke, Sociology;
Lütfiye Bozdağ, Fine Arts;
Mahmut Ağbaht, Linguistics;
Mehmet Rauf Kesici, Social Policy and Labour Economics;
Mehmet Türkay, Economics;
Mehmet Uğur, Economics;
Mehmet Zencir, Public Health;
Mehtap Tosun, Sociology;
Melahat Kutun, Political Science;
Melih Kırlıdoğ, Computer Engineering;
Meral Camcı, Translation Studies;
Meryem Koray, Labour Economics;
Mesut Coşkun, Mathematics;
Metin Altıok, Economics;
Murat Büyükyılmaz, Economics and Communication;
Murat Özyüksel, History;
Mustafa Kemal Coşkun, Sociology;
Mustafa Şener, Political Science;
Muzaffer Kaya, Sociology;
Nermin Biter, Biology;
Neşe Özgen, Sociology;
Nihan Aksakallı, Oral Pathology;
Nil Mutluer, Comparative Gender Studies;
Nilgün Erdem, Economics;
Nilgün Toker, Philosophy;
Nur Bekata Mardin, Business, Statistics;
Onur Aytaç, Film and Media Studies;
Onur Hamzaoğlu, Public Health;
Orhan Kaya, Psychology;
Öget Öktem Tanör, Neuropsychology;
Özgür Müftüoğlu, Labour Economics and Social Policy;
Özlem Altıok, International Studies, Women and Gender Studies;
Özlem Köseoğlu Örnek, Public Health Nursing;
Özlem Özkan, Public Health;
Ramazan Kurt, Philosophy;
Rana Gürbüz, Economics;
Rezan Tuncay, Neurology;
Rıfat Okçabol, Educational Sciences;
Salih Can Açıksöz, Anthropology;
Savaş Ergül, Philosophy;
Seçil Dağtaş, Anthropology;
Seçkin Özsoy, Educational Sciences;
Selim Çakmaklı, Economics;
Selim Eskiizmirliler, Neuroscience;
Selim Temo, Literature;
Sema Bayraktar, Banking and Finance;
Serdar Başçetin, Women and Gender Studies;
Sevil Çakır, Sociology;
Sevilay Çelenk, Communication;
Sibel Özbudun, Sociocultural Anthropology;
Sinan Araman, Economics;
Suzan Yazıcı, Gerontology;
Şahika Yüksel, Mental Health;
Şahin Kapıkıran, Psychological Counseling;
Şebnem Korur Fincancı, Forensic Medicine;
Şebnem Oğuz, Political Science;
Tahsin Yeşildere, Veterinary Medicine;
Taner Özbenli, Neurology;
Taylan Akgül, Economics;
Taylan Koç, Political Science;
Tezcan Durna, Communication;
Tolga Tören, Economics;
Tuna Altınel, Mathematics;
Uğur Kutay, Cinema;
Ulaş Bayraktar, Urban and Local Governance;
Ülkü Güney, Sociology;
Ümit Biçer, Forensic Medicine;
Veli Mert, Fine Arts;
Yasemin Acar, Social Psychology;
Yasemin Özgün, Political Science;
Yücel Demirer, Political Science;
Yüksel Akkaya, Social Policy;
Zelal Beyaz Karçal, Economics;
Zeynep Kadirbeyoğlu, Political Science;
Zeynep Tül Akbal Süalp, Sociology and Cinema;
Zeynep Türkyılmaz, History.
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