On Friday, April 25, 2025, two siblings, identified as engineers Mohammad Khair and Abdul Rahman Ayman al-Fawwal from Damascus city, were shot and killed, and a third man, identified as Qusay Majid al-Tawil from Hadar town in rural Quneitra governorate, was shot and injured by unidentified gunmen on the Damascus-Suwayda road in the vicinity of al-Matla town in rural Damascus governorate. As of this writing, the perpetrators are still unidentified. The area is under the control of the current transitional authorities in Syria.
According to information obtained by the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) from reliable local sources, the victims came under indiscriminate gunfire while driving. Mohammad Khair and Abdul Rahman were killed instantly, while Qusay was injured. Local sources suggest that the shooters may have been members of local tribes in al-Matla who were firing indiscriminately at passing vehicles.
SNHR calls on the transitional government to uphold its legal and security responsibilities in protecting civilians and ensuring their safety, and to launch a transparent and independent investigation into the incident with the aim of identifying the perpetrators and bringing them to justice. This would help curb the recurrence of such crimes and prevent the spread of impunity.
SNHR must also stress that achieving stability in Syria requires reinforcing the rule of law and strengthening efforts toward justice and accountability to ensure that perpetrators of violations do not escape punishment and to move forward in building a state that respects human rights.
