AAUS Statement on Developments in Al-Sumariyah and Interim Authority’s Trials

The Alawite Association of the United States (AAUS) is following with deep concern the violations taking place in the Al-Sumariyah neighborhood of Damascus, where members of the Alawite community – and other minorities – are being targeted as part of a regional ethnic cleansing campaign. Testimonies from residents describe systematic harassment, threats of violence, forced evictions, and marking homes to identify residents based on their sectarian identity. These violations are being carried out by armed groups loyal to the interim authority, and they reflect a systematic policy aimed at forcibly displacing Al-Sumariyah’s Alawite residents. Therefore, we urgently call for holding the interim authorities responsible for the safety of the residents, forming an independent international investigation into the campaign of ethnic cleansing and forced evictions, and deploying monitoring teams from the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross to Al-Sumariyah.

On the trial taking place in Aleppo regarding the March 2025 massacres against Alawites, the AAUS views the interim authority’s court as a kangaroo court that has no intention of delivering the perpetrators to justice. This became clear when only seven defendants – out of thousands who took part in the massacres – stood trial, and seven others were brought in as “remnants of the former regime.” Equating the executioner with the victim is not justice, and the interim authority’s failure to deliver on its promises to the international community will only prolong Syria’s isolation and instability. Therefore, we urge the UN Security Council to refer this case to the ICC – pursuant to Article 13(b) of the Rome Statute – to investigate the crimes committed in the coastal region. Failure to deliver justice on this matter, and on the July 2025 massacres against the Druze community, will only lead to more violence in the future and the fragmentation of the country.

The AAUS affirms that protecting civilians is the foundation for any political process or democratic transition in Syria. Persecution based on religious or ethnic identity is a grave crime that cannot be justified or ignored. We call on the international community to protect civilians and prosecute perpetrators of war crimes rather than merely issue generic statements about "protecting minorities" or "a democratic transition."