A US committee accuses the transitional authorities of failing to protect religious minorities in Syria

The transitional authorities in Syria face accusations from the United States of failing to protect religious diversity.

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), in its 2026 annual report, called for the country to be placed on the list of “Countries of Particular Concern”.

The report documented an escalation in sectarian violence, mass killings, and kidnappings targeting Christians, Alawites, and Druze throughout 2025, coinciding with attacks by ISIS targeting churches and worshippers. authorities in Syria of a complete failure.

According to the report, religious freedom in Syria witnessed a marked deterioration during 2025, despite the transitional authorities’ pledge, following the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al Assad’s regime, to reject sectarianism and work to build a state based on equality among all citizens.

The report indicated that these pledges weren’t reflected in concrete actions on the ground, explaining that the transitional government was unable to prevent violations or hold those responsible accountable.

It also noted that some acts of violence were committed by groups or individuals loyal to or affiliated with the new administration.

The report described several incidents as “sectarian massacres” as on March 7, 2025, it reported that thousands of Sunni militants responded to calls for mobilization issued by the Syrian Ministry of Defense to suppress what the authorities described as an Alawite rebellion in the Syrian coastal region.

The report explained that these operations witnessed mass executions of Alawite civilians in the governorates of Tartus, Latakia and Hama, with the use of slogans and phrases of a sectarian nature, which led to the killing of at least 1,500 people in two days.

In April, the report referred to clashes in the city of Jaramana in the Damascus countryside, following the spread of audio recordings attributed to a Druze cleric that included insults against the Prophet Muhammad, which resulted in deaths and injuries.

The report also documented the bombing that targeted the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in the capital Damascus during Sunday Mass in June, which killed at least 25 people.

In July, the report addressed the widespread clashes that took place in the Suwaida governorate after the kidnapping of a Druze merchant, noting that the intervention of the military forces affiliated with the transitional authorities contributed to the death toll rising to nearly two thousand people.

The report was based on data issued by the United Nations and international human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, which spoke of a direct and extensive role of the Syrian security forces and the Ministries of Interior and Defense in carrying out extrajudicial killings and violations against members of the Alawite and Druze communities.

The committee called on the US State Department to officially designate Syria as a “Country of Particular Concern,” a designation used for countries that commit or tolerate gross violations of freedom of religion and belief.

It also recommended imposing specific sanctions, including freezing financial assets and banning entry to the United States, on Syrian governmental and non-governmental figures and entities proven to be involved in violations of religious freedoms.

The report urged the US administration to link any future cooperation or openness with the transitional authorities to proof of taking concrete steps to reduce sectarian violence, ensure the protection of freedom of religion and belief, and enshrine the principle of equality in citizenship within the new Syrian constitution.

The report indicated that Syria witnessed continuous demographic changes during 2025 with the return of more than one million refugees, most of whom were Sunni Muslim Arabs.

He also considered that some of the measures taken by the transitional authorities contributed to restricting freedom of religion and belief, including the appointment of military and security figures with a previous record of violations related to religious freedoms, in addition to issuing a constitutional declaration that the report described as insufficient to guarantee the protection of minorities.

The report also addressed US policy towards Syria, noting that US President Donald Trump announced in May the lifting of sanctions imposed on Syria, before signing an executive order in June to end them.

He also noted that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio later revoked the designation of Hayat Tahrir al Sham as a foreign terrorist organization.

The report emphasized that the US National Defense Authorization Act linked any easing of sanctions on Syria to taking clear steps related to protecting religious freedoms, including guaranteeing freedom of worship and providing fair political representation for religious minorities.

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