A 50-year-woman, identified as Manal al-Metwali from Tafas city in western rural Daraa governorate, was shot dead on December 4, 2023, by gunmen we have not yet been able to identify while she was travelling to Daraa al-Balad city. The gunmen stopped the bus she was in near Tal Shehab town in western rural Daraa governorate, and proceeded to force her off the bus, then shot her.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) notes that Manal had been accused by local residents of dealing in witchcraft and sorcery.
The area is under the control of Syrian regime forces. SNHR is still trying to locate eyewitnesses to obtain more information about the incident. We call on the controlling forces to uphold their responsibilities for protecting civilians in their areas, to investigate this incident, and to make the investigation’s findings known to the public. Syria will never have true stability without a genuine political transition process towards democracy within a fixed timetable.
