On Saturday, November 8, 2025, 15-year-old Youssef Ahmed al-Ghazawi, from the town of al-Muzayrib in the western Daraa countryside, died after being shot while someone was cleaning a firearm inside his family’s home.
According to information obtained by the Syrian Network for Human Rights from local sources, Youssef was accidentally shot while someone was cleaning their weapon inside the child’s home, resulting in his immediate death.
We are continuing our investigation, including reviewing and gathering further evidence and information. Therefore, we urge anyone with information or details related to this incident to provide them to us via our official email address: [email protected]
Legal Conclusions:
- This incident reflects a serious deficiency in regulating the possession and storage of weapons in civilian areas, which contradicts the state’s duty to take preventive measures against the possession of weapons in homes, and international principles related to community security.
- The presence of unregulated firearms reflects an alarming spread of gun culture within residential environments, threatening public safety and highlighting the absence of serious policies to control weapons and restrict their possession to official institutions.
- Although the death resulted from a domestic accident, the Syrian government bears partial responsibility for regulating the proliferation of weapons, educating the population about their dangers, and controlling the environment in which they are used in civilian settings.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights recommends:
- Enact and implement strict legislation regulating the possession of weapons, prohibiting their presence in residential homes without licenses and clear conditions, including safe storage, and criminalizing negligence in their handling.
- Implement extensive community awareness campaigns, in cooperation with civil society organizations, to educate families about the dangers of weapons in homes and the necessity of reporting unsafe possession.
- Strengthen oversight of the circulation of personal weapons by establishing regular inspection mechanisms and creating a national registry of gun owners in areas under the control of the Syrian government.
- Launch community-based child protection programs that integrate awareness-raising within schools and community centers, and involve parents in promoting a safe environment for children at home.
- The authorities bear legal responsibility for any case of negligence leading to civilian death or injury, and must take clear criminal measures against those who violate weapons possession laws or cause their misuse within populated areas.
