On Wednesday, July 23, 2025, local residents found the body of Bassam Bahaa Al-Rifai, 20 years old, from the city of Nawa in the western countryside of Daraa Governorate, near his family’s home in the city of Nawa, an area under the control of the transitional government. Marks of gunshots wounds and torture were found on his body.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights continues to investigate the circumstances of the incident and gather more information. At the time of writing, the perpetrators’ identities remain unknown.
Legal Conclusions:
• The discovery of the victim’s body bearing signs of gunshot wounds and torture, without any record of an armed clash, arrest warrant, or any judicial procedure, indicates the possibility of extrajudicial execution. This constitutes a flagrant violation of Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees the right to life.
• The disappearance of the victim, followed by his subsequent murder, constitutes a form of enforced disappearance, prohibited under the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.
• Since the area is under the control of the transitional government, the occurrence of this crime within its jurisdiction without preventive 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.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights’ recommendations:
• Open an urgent, impartial, and transparent criminal investigation to identify those responsible for the killing of Mahmoud Ghosa, with the involvement of independent forensic experts, and make the investigation’s findings public.
• The transitional government should assume its security responsibilities by activating monitoring and response mechanisms to protect civilians in rural areas and intensifying patrols in areas with active civilian activity.
• Provide urgent compensation to the families of the victims, including material and moral support, as well as psychological and social support for their families, as they are victims of extrajudicial killing.
• Establish a database of unidentified killings and enforced disappearances to identify patterns and facilitate future legal accountability within the framework of due process.
