On Monday, October 13, 2025, residents found the body of Muwaffaq Ahmad Haroun, a resident of the city of Douma, east of the Rif Dimashq Governorate, in the city of Adra, east of the governorate. Traces of gunfire were found on the body. It should be noted that the area is under Syrian government control.
According to information obtained by the Syrian Network for Human Rights from reliable local sources, Muwaffaq is a person with special needs. His body was found inside his car, bearing traces of gunfire. We have not yet been able to identify the perpetrators.
We are continuing our investigations, including reviewing and gathering more evidence and information. Therefore, we hope that anyone with information or details related to this incident will provide it to us via our official email address.
Legal Conclusions:
- The discovery of Muwaffaq Haroun’s body bearing gunshot wounds, without any recorded armed conflict, arrest warrant, or any judicial procedure, indicates the possibility of his being subjected to a summary execution and extrajudicial killing. This constitutes a flagrant violation of Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees the right to life.
- Since the area is under the control of the Syrian government, the occurrence of this crime within its jurisdiction without preventative measures constitutes a failure to fulfill the state’s duty to protect the right to life and personal security. This violates the principle of the “duty to protect,” which obliges authorities to prevent violations in areas under their control.
Recommendations of the Syrian Network for Human Rights:
- Open a prompt, impartial, and transparent criminal investigation to identify those responsible for the killing of Muwaffaq Haroun, with the involvement of independent criminal experts, and make the results of the investigation public.
- The Syrian government must uphold its security responsibilities by activating monitoring and response agencies to protect civilians in rural areas and intensifying patrols in areas with civilian activity.
- Providing urgent compensation to the victims’ families, including material and moral support, as well as psychological and social support for their families, as victims of extrajudicial killings.
- Establishing a database of unidentified killings and enforced disappearances to identify patterns and facilitate future legal accountability procedures within the framework of legal justice.
