State of the World's Minorities and Indigenous Peoples 2013 - Syria

Atrocities and violence since March 2011 have turned the uprising in Syria against the Bashar al-Assad regime into a prolonged crisis. The continuous fighting between the army and armed opposition groups had resulted in the deaths of around 93,000 people by spring 2013. By the end of 2012, 750,000 had fled across the country's borders, and there were well over 2 million internally displaced. In February 2012, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, warned that the situation in Syria had 'reached horrific dimensions', describing the situation as 'an intolerable affront to the human conscience'.

There are different groups within the political and armed opposition. The opposition is supported by several countries, such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. In June 2013, the US announced that it would provide direct military support to the opposition; the European Union (EU) lifted its arms embargo the month before. The regime is backed by Iran, Russia and the Hezbollah organization in Lebanon. So far no solution has been proposed to end this conflict. Some minorities, such as Christians and Alawites, have been targeted, because they are believed to support the regime. Sectarian divides have grown in Syria between Sunnis, Alawites, Christians and Druze, especially since 2012 according to UN reports and refugees interviewed by MRG.

The UN commission of inquiry also warned that the fighting increasingly has a sectarian aspect. Regime troops and pro-government militia have committed massacres, according to the commission. At checkpoints and detention centres, government forces have committed murder, torture, rape and enforced disappearances following arbitrary detentions. In its February 2013 report, the commission noted a disturbing pattern, namely the shelling by government forces of whole neighbourhoods, with bread lines and hospitals being particularly targeted. Opposition armed forces have also been guilty of murder, torture, hostage-taking and arbitrary arrests. While the offences are grave on both sides, the commission noted, the scale of attacks on civilian populations was far greater from the government side.[3] Citing local activists, HRW reported that at least 865 detainees had died during 2012 while in government custody.

At the beginning of the uprising, anti-Christian and anti-Alawite slogans were reported. Some opposition groups have banned such chants. However, there are concerns that the divisions among different groups in Syria may well be deepening.

President Assad belongs to the minority Alawite group and relies on Alawite support to stay in power, backed by certain members of other minorities, especially Christians and Druze, plus a select group of Sunni majority businessmen. Alawites comprise about 10 per cent of the population, Christians, about 10 per cent, while about 70 per cent are Sunni Muslims. Druze, a community whose faith emerged from Isma'ilism and Shi'a Islam, make up 4-5 per cent of the population; they have generally avoided taking sides in the current conflict. While a few Druze have aligned themselves, the majority have stayed neutral and have established checkpoints and militias in their areas, especially Suwaida, southern Syria, where Druze mainly live, in order to protect their people. Some Druze have been involved in fighting against armed militant groups, such as Jabhat al-Nusra (an al-Qaeda linked group). There were kidnappings and an attack on a Druze village in early 2013.

There are growing concerns that Alawites could be the main target of discrimination if the regime collapses. Some protesters associated the whole Alawite community with the Assad regime; as a result, Alawites were particularly targeted in reprisal attacks during 2012. Several international human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, called for the protection and safety of minorities in Syria, especially those suspected of backing the Assad regime, by any future government. In this context, Adama Dieng, the UN Special Adviser on the prevention of genocide, urged all parties to the conflict to adhere to international humanitarian and human rights law, especially those provisions which prohibit the targeting of individuals or groups based on religious or ethnic identity.

Kurds are denied their basic rights. They represent about 10 per cent of the Syrian population. Their language is not recognized and is not taught in schools. In addition, Kurds who could not prove their residence in Syria from 1945 onwards were denied their Syrian nationality according to Law 93 of 1962. About 300,000 Kurds do not have citizenship and are stateless. This puts pressure on their daily life in employment, travel and marriage. It should be noted that President Assad issued a decree to grant citizenship to Kurds living in Hasaka in 2011.

Towards the end of 2012, there were reports of fighting between the opposition Free Syria Army and Kurdish fighters linked to the Democratic Union Party (PYD), raising fears of a power struggle. Kurds have otherwise kept their distance from the fighting to avoid being targeted. Kurds have set up checkpoints along the main road of Qamishli, the unofficial capital of the Kurdish area. The lack of government presence in the Kurdish areas has given them more freedoms and they have started teaching the Kurdish language, which was forbidden before the March 2011 uprising. By assuming responsibility to keep security in their region, a cultural renewal has been made possible, with Kurds now able to speak their language freely. But this has not meant that the Kurdish region has been isolated from the conflict. According to media reports, schools have been closed and medical assistance has been hard to come by. There have also been government air strikes against the region.

Shi'a Muslims also faced difficulty in 2012. For example, according to HRW, a Shi'a place of worship in Idlib was destroyed by opposition forces towards the end of the year. Shi'as living in Zarzour were displaced from their village, because they were seen as supporters of the regime.

Harassment of Christians reportedly increased during 2012. Government forces raided the Syrian Orthodox Um al-Zennar Church in Homs in February, leading Christians to join protests in greater numbers in that city. In May, security forces arrested worshippers gathered at St Cyril's Cathedral in Damascus to remember a deceased opposition activist. Christians left their homes in the villages of Ghasaniyeh and Jdeideh in Latakia governorate for fear of the opposition forces, as well as the urgent humanitarian situation, and worries about government air strikes and shelling. Two churches were reported to have been looted in December.

Some Christians have reportedly left their homes because they do not have a militia to protect them from attack. Some churches have been set on fire. A local priest told a BBC journalist that some young and unemployed Christians have come under pressure from the regime to defend themselves. They were told that armed militant groups were going to kill them.

It should be said that many Christians have refused to be armed. Some arrangements between Christian activists and opposition forces were struck not to target the Christian areas.

Notes

3. See OHCHR, 'UN commission of inquiry: all parties becoming increasingly reckless with human life as the Syrian conflict drags on', retrieved July 2013, http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=13003&LangID=E.