In the context of widespread protests that expanded to include the governorates of Aleppo, Idlib, Deir Ezzor, Raqqa, and Damascus under the banner of demanding accountability, Human Rights Watch documented the transformation of these demonstrations into revenge attacks and identity-based violence, targeting individuals simply accused of having ties to the former government. The report reviewed field incidents and attacks concentrated specifically in Damascus and Idlib between June 13 and 17, 2026, highlighting the shortcomings in security and legal measures to protect these individuals from extrajudicial vigilante justice.
Damascus Attacks and Security Shortcomings
The report pointed to incidents of a regional and sectarian nature in the capital, Damascus, on June 16, following attempts by crowds to enter the Mazzeh 86 and Ush al-Warwar neighborhoods. The organization documented the testimony of a shopkeeper in Mazzeh 86 who was beaten with stun batons and stabbed by a group of masked men in civilian clothes, resulting in material damages to his shop estimated at $1,000. In the vicinity of Ush al-Warwar, videos verified by the organization showed gatherings chanting sectarian slogans near security checkpoints. The government’s response was limited to the Road Security Directorate blocking entrances to prevent the advance of additional protesters, without intervening to stop the attacks that occurred inside those neighborhoods.
Field Executions and Vandalism in Idlib
Idlib governorate recorded violent incidents that led to fatalities. The organization verified videos showing an elderly man named Shukri Kayali being beaten and dragged through the streets of Kafr Takharim over accusations of working as a former pro-government fighter, before being left at the local clock tower and later pronounced dead. Another video was spotted showing the body of a man named Fadi Rabou in Idlib city, killed under similar circumstances. In the city of Salqin, the report noted that commercial businesses were vandalized by unknown assailants because their owners were accused of supporting the former government.
Legislative Vacuum and the Failure of Government Measures
The report attributed the continuation of these violations to clear government shortcomings in bridging the legislative vacuum represented by the absence of a legal framework governing the transitional justice process, an assessment that aligns with the findings of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry. The report demonstrated the inability of official measures to provide real protection on the ground; the authorities’ response was limited to theoretical management of the crisis through statements by the “National Commission for Transitional Justice” that collective punishment is unacceptable. Furthermore, the report considered the Interior Ministry’s mere announcement of holding 6,000 former personnel and urging citizens to submit evidence through official channels—without providing preventive security deployment to deter attackers—as negligence of its duties, which left the streets unrestrained and entrenched the resort to “mob justice.”
Human Rights Recommendations for the Authorities
Human Rights Watch, through its researcher Hiba Zayadin, emphasized the need to draw a clear dividing line between demanding justice and targeting people based on their backgrounds. The organization called on the Syrian authorities to:
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Open urgent investigations into the perpetrators of the violent attacks.
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Make preventive security deployments the standard response when tensions rise.
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Enact comprehensive legislative reforms that ensure fair and effective trials.
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Clarify the strategy and timeline for accountability processes to end the conflation of revenge with the application of the law.