On Tuesday, October 28, 2025, Aya Salam and Kamal Abdul Baqi, both residents of Suwayda Governorate, were killed, and six other civilians, including three women and two children, were wounded when unidentified gunmen opened fire on a civilian passenger bus on the Damascus-Suwayda road, near the Marjana gas station. The bus was traveling from Damascus to Suwayda Governorate. At the time of this report, the perpetrators’ identities have not been confirmed. It should be noted that the area is under the control of the Syrian government.
According to reports, the gunmen, who were masked and dressed in black, stopped the bus at a temporary checkpoint, asked the driver about his destination, and then opened fire, killing two people, one of whom was a woman, and injuring six others.
We are continuing our investigation, including reviewing and gathering further evidence and information. We therefore urge anyone with information or details related to this incident to contact us via our official email address:
Legal Conclusions:
- The killing of civilians by direct gunfire from unidentified armed individuals, without any legal justification or state of engagement, constitutes extrajudicial killing and a grave violation of Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which states that the right to life is inherent to every human being and that no one may be arbitrarily deprived of it.
- The injury of civilians as a result of indiscriminate gunfire constitutes a violation of Article 9 of the same Covenant, which guarantees the security and physical integrity of individuals and obligates authorities to prevent such attacks and hold perpetrators accountable.
- Indiscriminate gunfire by an armed group not under official control in a vital civilian area constitutes a failure to fulfill the State’s obligations to protect the civilian population, which violates the “duty to protect” principle binding on de facto authorities under international law.
- The fact that the armed individuals are unidentified does not diminish the Syrian government’s responsibility for maintaining security. The inability to contain civil conflicts or the conduct of local armed groups undermines the rule of law. If the perpetrators are not identified and prosecuted, this reinforces the pattern of impunity, weakens public confidence in justice, and creates a dangerous environment for the recurrence of these crimes.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights recommends:
- An immediate, impartial, and transparent investigation, overseen by independent judicial authorities, should be launched to uncover the circumstances of the crime and identify the perpetrators, while ensuring the protection of witnesses and the documentation of evidence.
- The Syrian government must protect vital areas, including deploying security checkpoints, activating surveillance systems, and tightening control over unofficial armed groups.
- All those criminally involved, including any local parties or groups that participated in the shooting, must be prosecuted and brought to fair and public trials that guarantee the rights of the victims and their families.
- The families of the two victims must be provided with material and moral compensation, and the injured must be guaranteed access to medical care and psychological support, in accordance with international standards for reparations.
- A local awareness campaign should be launched, with the participation of local community leaders, to promote respect for the rule of law and reject the indiscriminate use of weapons, in order to combat irregular armament and tribal violence.
