UN Syria Commission Warns of Human Rights Challenges After Latest Visit

The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria has urged Syrian authorities and all parties to the conflict to strengthen accountability, protect detainees’ rights, resolve property claims and address continuing abuses across the country, following its latest visit to Syria.

Commissioners Monia Ammar and Fionnuala Ní Aoláin concluded a visit to the Syrian Arab Republic from 1 to 7 July, during which they met victims of past and recent human rights violations, government officials, civil society representatives and members of the international community. Their work focused on international human rights law, international humanitarian law and the prevention of future violations.

The visit included Homs and Quneitra, and followed earlier investigative missions to Damascus, Rural Damascus, Aleppo, Raqqa and Hassakeh. The Commission said it continued to enjoy broad access to Syria and thanked the government for facilitating its work.

The Commissioners condemned two likely improvised explosive device attacks in Damascus that killed and injured civilians, one near a café close to the Ministry of Justice and another near the Four Seasons Hotel. They expressed solidarity with the victims and their families.

A central focus of the visit was accountability and transitional justice. The Commission noted progress in drafting a transitional justice law and the start of trials related to human rights and international humanitarian law violations committed during the Assad era. It stressed, however, that such proceedings must respect the principle of legality and fair trial guarantees.

The Commission also called for urgent clarity and revision of Syria’s criminal code to bring it into line with relevant international standards. It noted the designation of special court chambers for transitional justice proceedings, as well as announced legal procedures concerning the violence in Suwayda in July 2025.

The Commissioners said accountability must reach all levels of responsibility, including for the Suwayda violence and the coastal violence of March 2025. They stressed that all parties to the conflict must be subject to accountability, truth and justice, warning that a narrow or selective process would undermine public trust and violate international legal standards.

The Commission also urged wider consultations with victims’ associations and civil society before the transitional justice law is submitted to the People’s Assembly. It said broader public ownership of the process was essential after decades of impunity.

On detention, the Commission noted the government’s stated commitment to respecting detainees’ rights and allowing access for families and lawyers. At the same time, it said families still report being unable to trace the fate and whereabouts of people taken into government custody. It also expressed concern over the prolonged detention without apparent judicial review of thousands of detainees, including people suspected of crimes under the previous government.

The Commission emphasised that all deprivation of liberty must be lawful and subject to judicial review in accordance with Syrian law. It acknowledged public demands for swift action over past crimes, but warned that justice must not come at the expense of due process.

Property rights were another major concern. The Commissioners met communities affected by the destruction and seizure of property during the conflict, including people unable to prove ownership because their homes lacked formal documentation or because the war prevented them from engaging in property procedures.

The Commission warned that large real estate projects must respect the rights of original inhabitants and provide fair compensation and support when people cannot return to their homes. It also highlighted the particular difficulties faced by women-headed households and women seeking to reclaim property rights.

On education, the Commission welcomed steps to harmonise curricula across Syria and recognise qualifications issued in areas previously or currently controlled by non-state actors. It also welcomed interim measures allowing children without legal identity documents to attend school and access health services.

However, it expressed concern over the continuing impasse preventing students in parts of Suwayda from sitting final exams. It also noted that some families remain too concerned about security to send their children to school or university. The Commission called on all parties to facilitate access to exams and address security fears that obstruct education.

The Commission also raised concerns about hate speech and incitement. It welcomed expanded freedom of speech and greater media freedom, but warned that efforts to counter hate speech must be balanced carefully with the protection of fundamental freedoms.

In Homs, the Commissioners called for intercommunal dialogue and voiced concern over apparent acts of vigilantism against alleged former members of the previous government. Such incidents, they said, have deepened insecurity among residents. The Commission reminded the authorities that all killings must be investigated promptly, effectively and impartially.

In Quneitra, the Commission investigated reported Israeli violations of human rights and humanitarian law on Syrian territory. It met local officials, civil society actors and affected communities, who reported Israeli incursions, detention, harassment, home demolitions and restrictions preventing access to grazing and agricultural land.

The Commission urged Israel to restore access to roads and farmland, allow farmers to tend crops and orchards, and release all arbitrarily detained civilians. It said blocked roads and denial of access to land had deprived many civilians of their main source of income, warning that continued violations risk worsening the security and humanitarian situation in Quneitra and neighbouring areas.

The Commission also addressed conditions in north and northeastern Syria, including detention facilities and camps. It expressed concern over the transfer of detainees to Iraq, including an unknown number of vulnerable children, and called on the Syrian government to establish the fate and whereabouts of approximately 3,500 Syrian nationals reportedly transferred there.

It also voiced grave concern over the legality of detention of men, women and children across the north and northeast, including facilities still under the de facto control of the SDF. The Commission singled out Roj camp, where more than 60 per cent of detainees are reportedly children, and called for the release of all arbitrarily detained people.

Member states were urged to accelerate the repatriation of their nationals from Aq Burhan and Roj camps. The Commission also expressed deep concern over detention conditions for children, particularly boys held in Roj and Al Sina.

While noting improved conditions in some formal detention facilities and closed camps under government control, the Commission said there had been insufficient progress in ensuring that people are detained lawfully and treated humanely across the country.

Regarding the January 2026 hostilities in Aleppo and other parts of the north and northeast, the Commission called on all parties to help identify remains and allow families to collect them. It also called for clarification of the fate of children caught in the fighting, including those allegedly subjected to forced recruitment by armed groups.

In Afrin, the Commission observed security improvements and the gradual restoration of state institutions. It also noted government efforts to facilitate the return of internally displaced persons, while urging stronger measures to ensure that returns are voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable, and that property rights are fully respected.

In Hassakeh, the Commission said more than 1,000 fighters captured during the January 2026 escalation had been released, while calling on the government to clarify the fate and whereabouts of around 800 others.

The Commission welcomed government facilitation of access to places of detention, but said it regretted being unable to visit some facilities requested in advance, particularly in Raqqa and Hassakeh. It said it would continue engaging with both the Syrian government and the SDF to secure access in the future.

The Commission said its investigations are continuing and that it had shared preliminary recommendations with Syrian authorities on accountability, fair trial rights, transitional justice, arbitrary detention, hate speech, incitement and access to education.

The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria was established by the UN Human Rights Council in August 2011 to investigate alleged violations of international human rights law since March 2011 and identify those responsible where possible. Its mandate was most recently extended for another year in April 2026.