Published on: 2026-04-28
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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Staff of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) have documented evidence of serious violations in Syria, including mass killings, enforced disappearances, and arbitrary detentions. This was reported on Tuesday at a briefing in Geneva by OHCHR spokesperson Tamin Al-Hitan.
According to him, the UN mission has just completed a visit to the Al-Hasakah provincein the northeast of Syria, where evidence was collected both about past and ongoing human rights violations.
Mass burials
Numerous cases of murders, violent disappearances, arbitrary detentions, and deportations of prisoners are reported. During a five-day visit, UN staff also received information about the discovery of three mass graves in the region, including one on the territory of a former detention center under guard, managed bySyrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The UN team met with families of missing persons, including women and children. Relatives report that these close individuals disappeared after being detained by the SDC or international coalition forces. According to coalition data, in January 2026, about 7 thousand detainees were transferred to Iraq, approximately half of them being Syrians. The UN expresses concern that many of them are deprived of the opportunity to communicate with relatives and access legal assistance.
Al-Khitan emphasized that under any circumstances, procedural guarantees must be observed, including the prohibition of expulsion to a country where a person’s life or freedom is threatened, the right to a fair trial, and the protection of the rights of detainees.
Situations in the south of Syria
The UN also expresses growing concern about the situation in southern Syria, where expanding operations by Israeli forces, controlling these territories, create serious risks for the civilian population. Reports indicate violations of the right to private and family life, as well as significant damage to sources of livelihood, especially in agricultural areas.
Data is coming in about intimidation, arbitrary detentions, interrogations, searches, and movement restrictions. In the province of Al-Quneitra, according to reports, checkpoints have been set up, searches of residential homes are being conducted, and peaceful residents are being arrested.
In February, it is reported that Israeli forces sprayed chemical substances on agricultural lands and restricted farmers’ access to pastures, as well as struck agricultural areas.
According to Syrian authorities, since the fall of the previous government in southern Syria, at least 250 people have been detained, including children. About 50 of them remain in custody; some have been transferred to prisons in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The UN emphasizes that this causes serious concerns related to possible cases of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances, as information about the legal status and whereabouts of some detainees is lacking.
Expansion of settlements
The decision of Israel to expand settlements in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights causes additional concern. According to available data, the relocation of about 3,000 Israeli families there is planned. The UN Human Rights Office emphasizes that such activity violates international humanitarian law.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, called on the Israeli authorities to cease all violations of international law, conduct independent investigations, and hold the perpetrators accountable. He also demanded an end to the expansion of settlements.
The trial of Assad and the question of responsibility
The UN also noted the start of the trial in Damascus of the former President of Syria Bashar al-Assad and representatives of his regime, mostly in absentia. The Department considers this an important first step.on the way to justicein relation to hundreds of thousands of victims, however, they emphasize the necessity of adherence to international human rights standards.
Al-Khitan also noted that Assad, his brother Maher, and others accused ultimately must stand trial personally. He called the arrest of former regime official Amjad Yusef, involved in the mass killings in the Tadamon area of Damascus in 2013, an important step.
The UN representative emphasized that all parties involved in serious human rights violations in Syria, both before and during the conflict, must be held accountable.
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