Syrian Druze

UN probe: Syrian minorities face kidnappings, rape, and arbitrary detention

A UN report reveals that Syria's new government has failed to stop human rights abuses, including abductions, sexual violence, and arbitrary detentions, despite efforts for accountability.

|ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa attends the Ministry of Awqaf conference titled "Unity of Islamic Discourse" at the Conference Palace in Damascus, Syria, February 16, 2026.
Syrian security forces walk together along a street, after clashes between Syrian government troops and local Druze fighters resumed in the southern Druze city of Sweida early on Wednesday, in Sweida, Syria July 16, 2025.

Damascus, Druze forces exchange prisoners after Sweida violence

The swap involved Damascus releasing 61 prisoners from the Druze factions detained in Adra Central Prison near the capital.

|ByREUTERS
A Syrian man takes up arms at a gasoline station in a frontline village on January 23, 2026 in Sweida, Syria.

Syrian government, Druze renew participation in new US-backed talks - report

Reports say that a prisoner deal in Sweida could pave the way for a deal that resolves the crisis with Damascus and provides locals with administrative and security powers.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
PEOPLE STAND inside a destroyed home in Sweida, Syria, that had been targeted in a massacre of Druze villages in the area by Syrian forces.

A witness to the apocalypse: Sweida atrocities will stay with me forever - opinion

What will become of Sweida is now a global responsibility.

|ByL. CHNEIF

Syria pledges to form committee to investigate clashes in Sweida

The committee would investigate reported attacks and abuses against civilians and refer anyone proven to have participated in such attacks to the judiciary.

AUGUST 1, 2025ByREUTERS
Members of Syrian security forces ride on a back of a truck after Syrian troops entered the predominantly Druze city of Sweida on Tuesday following two days of clashes, in Sweida, Syria July 15, 2025.