European Syriac Union urges action against minority abuses in Syria in open letter to European Parliament

BRUSSELS — The European Syriac Union (ESU) has published an open letter to the European Parliament, raising urgent concerns over the current situation in Syria.

In the letter, the ESU highlighted serious human rights violations targeting Christians and other religious minorities, including Alawites and Druze, and urged the European Parliament to take concrete measures to ensure their protection.

The ESU condemned crimes committed by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its affiliated factions, citing widespread and systematic abuses, including killings, forced displacement, and other grave violations against indigenous and ethnic communities.

The letter described brutal attacks on Alawites and Christians, including the deadly assault on Mar Elias Church, which left dozens martyred. It also documented incidents of killings, theft, and arbitrary arrests affecting the Druze community, providing specific examples involving members of the Syriac population.

Reaffirming its commitment to European Union principles, international human rights law, and the fight against all forms of discrimination, the ESU called these violations a direct threat to freedom, justice, and the dignity of indigenous peoples.

In its appeal, the ESU called on the European Parliament to take the following urgent actions:

1. Issue an official condemnation of HTS and its allied factions for crimes of ethnic cleansing against minorities in Syria.
2. Launch an immediate international investigation into systematic human rights violations.
3. Impose strict political and economic sanctions on HTS and its extremist affiliates.
4. Support international and local institutions documenting crimes and protecting civilians, especially minority communities.
5. Take concrete steps to uncover the fate of forcibly abducted and disappeared individuals in HTS-controlled areas.
6. Activate comprehensive protection and accountability mechanisms to ensure the long-term safety of all components of Syrian society.

The ESU concluded by urging the European Union not to remain silent in the face of escalating violations of justice, equality, freedom of belief, human dignity, and the right of peoples to preserve their identity — values that, the ESU emphasized, are under severe threat in Syria today.