On Thursday, August 14, 2025, local residents found the bodies of two young men, Ayman Niel Marai and Muhammad al-Sulayman, both from the Wadi al-Dhahab neighborhood in Homs, near the al-Waer neighborhood in Homs, an area under the control of the transitional government. Traces of gunfire were found on their bodies.
According to information obtained by the Syrian Network for Human Rights from reliable local sources, two young men, Ayman Niel Marai and Muhammad al-Sulayman, were kidnapped on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, while heading from the Wadi al-Dhahab neighborhood to the wholesale market to work transporting vegetables. Their bodies were found the next day by unknown gunmen.
As of this writing, the identity of the party responsible for the crime has not been confirmed. We are continuing our investigations, including reviewing and gathering more evidence and information. Therefore, we hope that anyone with information or details related to this incident will provide them to us via our official email address: [email protected]
Legal conclusions:
- The discovery of the bodies of Ayman Niel Marai and Mohammed Al-Sulaiman, both bearing gunshot wounds, after they were abducted while on their way to work. Without any recorded armed conflict, arrest warrant, or judicial process, the bodies of the victims indicate the possibility of them being subjected to extrajudicial executions. 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 two victims for an entire day without knowing their fate, and then their subsequent discovery of their bodies, constitutes a form of enforced disappearance, prohibited under the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.
- Given that 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 implement 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 Ayman Niel Merhi and Mohammed al-Sulaiman, with the involvement of independent forensic experts, and make the results of the investigation public.
- The transitional government is assuming its security responsibilities by activating monitoring and response mechanisms to protect civilians in rural areas and intensifying patrols in areas with civilian activity.
- Providing urgent compensation to the victims’ families, including material and moral support, as well as psychological and social support for their families, as they are victims of extrajudicial killing.
- Providing urgent compensation to the victims’ families, 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 measures, within the framework of legal justice.
