On Tuesday, August 12, 2025, Duaa Mahmoud Al-Shabli, a 15-year-old girl from Deir ez-Zor Governorate who lived with her family near the town of Karak al-Sharqi in the eastern Daraa countryside, died after being hit by a stray bullet in the agricultural plains between the towns of Umm Walad and Karak al-Sharqi. It should be noted that the area is under the control of the transitional government.
Legal Conclusions:
- This incident reflects a failure to regulate the possession and storage of weapons in civilian areas. This contradicts the state’s obligation to take preventative measures against the possession of weapons within homes and civilian residential areas, as well as international principles related to community security.
- The uncontrolled presence of firearms in civilian residential areas reflects a disturbing spread of a gun culture within residential environments, threatening public safety and highlighting the absence of serious policies to control firearms and restrict them to official institutions.
- Although the death was caused by a stray bullet, the transitional government bears part of the responsibility for regulating the proliferation of weapons, educating the population about their dangers, and controlling the environment for their civilian use.
Recommendations of the Syrian Network for Human Rights:
- Enact and implement strict legislation regulating the possession of weapons, prohibiting their presence inside homes and residential areas without licenses and clear conditions, including safe storage, and criminalizing negligence in handling weapons.
- Implement extensive community awareness campaigns, in cooperation with civil society organizations, to educate families about the dangers of weapons inside homes and residential areas, and the need to report unsafe possession.
- Strengthening control over the circulation of individual weapons by establishing periodic inspection mechanisms and a national registry of weapon holders in areas controlled by the transitional government.
- Launching community protection programs for children, combining awareness-raising in schools and community centers, and engaging parents in fostering a safe environment for children at home.
- Authorities bear legal responsibility for any negligence resulting in civilian death or injury, and must take clear criminal action against anyone who violates gun laws or causes misuse within residential areas.
