Nine MEPs call for international investigation into the abuses in Suwayda and strict conditions for support to Syrian government

BRUSSELS – In a significant diplomatic move, nine Members of the European Parliament from The Left, S&D, Renew, and Greens/EFA factions have sent a joint letter, dated August 8, 2025, to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, urging immediate action to address what they described as the “systematic human rights violations and escalating violence” by the “transitional Syrian government” in Suwayda Province and other areas of Syria. 

The MEPs express deep concern over what they call severe and widespread violations against civilians, accusing the authorities in Daramsuq (Damascus), led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa, of pursuing a deliberate policy of repression aimed at consolidating control through siege, starvation, and arbitrary detention. 

According to the letter, Suwayda, Hemto (Hama), Sednaya, Hmoth (Homs), Jaramana, and Syria’s coastal region have faced large-scale, violent attacks–some of them saw ”the deliberate destruction of homes, forced displacement, abductions, enforced disappearances, and mass killings”– and are now facing worsening humanitarian conditions as a result of crippling blockades that have led to the collapse of vital infrastructure, water and electricity cuts.

Die EU muss aufhören ihre eigenen Interessen über das Leben von Minderheiten zu stellen- egal wo auf der Welt! Was grade in Syrien geschieht ist ein Skandal. Die EU paktiert mit der Jolani Regierung während in Syrien brutale Massaker an Minderheiten stattfinden@k_langensiepen pic.twitter.com/NLpSZfB3yV

— Özlem Alev Demirel (@OezlemADemirel) August 8, 2025

The nine MEPs accuse the “new transitional Syrian government” of showcasing “a pattern of systematic sectarian repression” and even possible genocidal intent: “Videos documenting atrocities committed by government forces and allied militias reveal attitudes that can escalate such crimes toward genocidal intent according to human rights advocates.”

The transitional Syrian authorities, they state, bear direct responsibility for breaches of international humanitarian law and international human rights treaties, suppressing pluralism, and obstruct the right to self-determination, further deepening “the divisions within Syria’s diverse social fabric” and creating “fertile ground for the rise of extremism and the erosion of civil peace, pushing the country toward a full-scale civil war that threatens both regional and international stability.” 

The MEPs call on the European Union to protect Syrian civilians, uphold human rights, and to support sustainable political solutions. The funds the EU is sending to Syria for state-building, are being used by the transitional government to establish an authoritarian regime. This is unacceptable, the MEPs state. They urgently urge the EU to condition any support for the Syrian government, warning that continued unconditional assistance only strengthens an authoritarian regime and undermines prospects for a comprehensive political settlement. They also demand the immediate lifting of the siege on Suwayda, unhindered delivery of aid and essential services, and support a constitutional process that reflects the diversity of Syria as a multi-ethnic state as well as democratic and fair elections to be held as soon as realistically possible.