On Monday, January 5, 2026, three civilians were killed: Farhan Maarouf (50 years old), a grocery store owner, and his son Muntajab (22 years old), both residents of Abu Hakfa village in the eastern Homs countryside, as well as Muhammad Shaaban, a teacher from Salamiyah city in the eastern Hama countryside. They were shot by unknown masked gunmen in Abu Hakfa village. At the time of this report, the perpetrators’ identities remain unknown. It should be noted that the area is under the control of the Syrian government.
According to information obtained by the Syrian Network for Human Rights from reliable local sources, unidentified masked gunmen in a Porter pickup truck opened fire directly from inside the vehicle at a grocery store in the village of Abu Hakfa, owned by Farhan Maarouf. The vehicle then drove away after the attack, resulting in the immediate death of the victims.
We are continuing our investigation, including reviewing and gathering further evidence and information. Therefore, we urge anyone with information or details related to this incident to provide them to us via our official email address: [email protected]
Legal Conclusions:
- The killing of the three civilians by direct gunfire from unidentified gunmen, without any legal justification or state of engagement, constitutes an 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 indiscriminate firing 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 gunmen 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 a pattern of impunity, undermines civilians’ trust in justice, and creates a dangerous environment for the recurrence of such crimes.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights recommends:
- Launch an urgent, impartial, and transparent investigation, under the supervision of independent judicial authorities, 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 oversight of unofficial armed groups.
- Prosecute all those criminally involved, including any local parties or groups that participated in the shooting, and bring them to fair and public trials that guarantee the rights of the victims and their families.
- Provide material and moral compensation to the victim’s family, in accordance with international standards for reparations.
- Launch a local awareness campaign on respecting the rule of law and rejecting the indiscriminate use of weapons, with the participation of local community leaders, to combat irregular armament and tribal violence.
