On Sunday, May 18, 2025, at approximately 19:13 local time, a car bomb exploded near Al-Mayadin prison, on Al-Corniche Street on the outskirts of Al-Mayadin city in the eastern suburbs of Deir Ez-Zour Governorate. The explosion killed five individuals, including a civilian and four members of the General Security Department of the Ministry of Interior of the Transitional Government. Two civilians, including a child, were injured, in addition to extensive material damage in the area. It is noteworthy that the area in which the explosion occurred is under the control of the Transitional Government.
According to information obtained by SNHR from reliable local sources, the car bomb was a locally manufactured type (known locally as “Halfawiya”) and was parked near the prison building, in a busy area that usually witnesses heavy traffic.
At the time of this writing, the party responsible for the bombing remains unknown, and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
SNHR is continuing its investigations to gather more information about the incident and fully document it.
Legal Conclusions
- Detonating a car bomb in a vital area constitutes unlawful conduct that threatens the right to life and bodily integrity. Whether the attack was targeted or not, detonating a bomb in a crowded location with no direct military target constitutes prohibited indiscriminate attacks.
- The use of explosive devices in a densely populated area constitutes an attack on the safety of civilians, violating Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees the right to life, and Article 9, which guarantees the right to personal security.
- The area is under the control of the transitional government, which is legally obligated to ensure the general protection of the civilian population in areas under its control, even if it was not directly responsible for the bombing.
- Deliberately targeting civilians using roadside bombs can be classified as terrorist acts against civilians, especially if it is proven that they were deliberately planted in a crowded, non-military location.
Recommendations by SNHR
- Conduct an immediate, transparent, and impartial investigation to determine who is responsible for the bombing and to identify the security failures that allowed the attack to occur, with the results being made public.
- The controlling local authorities (the interim government) bear security responsibility, and we demand that they tighten control over public places and enhance preventive measures to protect civilians from similar risks.
- Compensating victims and their families, and providing health and psychological care to the injured, especially children, in accordance with the principles of justice and reparation.
