SOHR: Nine Months After Assad’s Fall, Syria Faces Brutality, Chaos and Institutional Collapse

World 04:15 PM - 2025-09-07

Syria.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has warned that the nine months following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime have been marked by “extreme brutality, security chaos and institutional collapse.”

According to an SOHR report, decades of authoritarian rule left behind a fragile state that, once dismantled, gave way to a deadly power vacuum exploited by armed groups and criminal gangs. Instead of stability, Syria has seen escalating violence, with civilians—including women and children—facing killings, kidnappings, and mass displacement without any real protection.

Systematic Violence and Social Breakdown

SOHR reported that the regime’s collapse was accompanied by an unprecedented escalation of violence, including armed attacks, bombings, random killings, summary executions based on sect or identity, torture in prisons run by various factions, and external bombardments. These violations were described as systematic, aimed at destroying Syria’s social fabric and deepening divisions.

Human Losses

Between 8 December 2024 and 6 September 2025, SOHR documented 10,672 deaths, including:

- 8,180 civilians, among them 438 children and 620 women

- 2,492 combatants and non-civilians from various groups

Causes of death ranged from massacres and executions (3,020 cases) to random shooting, Israeli and Turkish bombardments, landmines and IEDs, as well as torture in prisons. March 2025 was the deadliest month, recording 2,644 victims, including 1,726 executed in the Syrian coastal massacres.

Lack of Accountability

SOHR criticised the absence of accountability, noting that investigative committees have failed to produce credible findings, adding that pro-government groups have escalated sectarian campaigns targeting activists and human rights defenders, further obstructing transitional justice.

Arbitrary Detentions

Thousands of detainees—including former officers, doctors, and civilians—remain in Syrian prisons without charges or fair trials. SOHR said these arbitrary detentions represent a serious breach of international human rights standards.

Urgent Recommendations

The Observatory concluded by urging the international community to:

- Take immediate measures to protect civilians.

- Hold perpetrators accountable, regardless of affiliation.

- End sectarian incitement and defamation campaigns.

- Rebuild transitional justice institutions on legal and human rights principles that guarantee equality for all Syrians.



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