Description:

Date: Sunday, April 13, 2025 Location: Masaken Barza, Damascus, Syria Perpetrators: HTS (Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham) jihadist group Summary of Events: • On April 13, 2025, HTS jihadists carried out a targeted operation in the Masaken Barza neighborhood, arresting all Alawite men residing in the area. • Those arrested included: o University students o Retired individuals o Government employees o Civilians with no government affiliation • The sole reason for arrest was their Alawite identity. Actions by HTS: • Home Invasions and Looting: • HTS members forcefully entered Alawite homes. • They conducted aggressive searches and confiscated all valuables, including cash and jewelry. • All male residents were detained during the raids. • Suppression and Intimidation: • All mobile phones were confiscated to prevent documentation. • Civilians who attempted to look out from their windows were shot at, reinforcing a climate of terror. • Disinformation Campaign: • HTS later claimed on social media that they had arrested a "terrorist group." • They shared photos of so-called seized weapons—images that were certainly staged and deliberately misrepresented to support their false narrative. Context and Ongoing Concerns: • Since HTS assumed control from the regime of Bashar al-Assad, the group has escalated actions resembling systematic ethnic cleansing against the Alawite community. • Patterns of persecution include: o Dismissing Alawite professionals from their jobs o Celebrating and broadcasting the killing of Alawite civilians • Facing international condemnation, HTS has now shifted to covert methods: o Preventing any recording or documentation of atrocities o Spreading false narratives of counter-terrorism operations to mask ethnically motivated violence.