On Monday, February 23, 2026, Iman Matanis Jarous, a 47-year-old woman from the village of Ain al-Raheb in the western Homs countryside, was killed by unknown gunmen in the Akrama al-Jadeeda neighborhood of Homs city. At the time of this report, the perpetrators remain unidentified. The area is under the control of the Syrian government.
According to information obtained by the Syrian Network for Human Rights from reliable local sources, unknown gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire on Ms. Jarous as she was near a liquor store in the neighborhood, fatally wounding her with a gunshot to the head. She was a teacher at a local school.
We are continuing our investigation, including reviewing and gathering further evidence and information. Therefore, we urge anyone with information or details regarding this incident to provide them to us via our official email address:
Legal Conclusions:
- The killing of Ms. Iman Grous by direct gunfire from two unknown gunmen, without any legal justification or state of engagement, is an extrajudicial killing and constitutes a grave violation of Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which states that the right to life is an inherent right of every human being, and no one may be arbitrarily deprived of it.
- Indiscriminate gunfire by an armed group not under official control in a vital civilian area constitutes a failure to fulfill the State’s obligations to protect the civilian population, which violates the “duty to protect” principle binding on de facto authorities under international law.
- The fact that the gunmen are unidentified does not diminish the Syrian government’s responsibility for maintaining security. The inability to contain civil conflicts or the conduct of local armed groups undermines the rule of law.
- If the perpetrators are not identified and prosecuted, this reinforces a pattern of impunity, weakens public confidence in justice, and creates a dangerous environment for the recurrence of such crimes.
Recommendations of the Syrian Network for Human Rights:
- Launch an urgent, impartial, and transparent investigation, under the supervision of independent judicial authorities, to uncover the circumstances of the crime and identify the perpetrators, while ensuring the protection of witnesses and the documentation of evidence.
- The Syrian government must protect vital areas, including deploying security checkpoints, activating surveillance systems, and tightening control over unofficial armed groups.
- Prosecute all those criminally involved, including any local parties or groups that participated in the shooting, and bring them to fair and public trials that guarantee the rights of the victims and their families.
- Provide material and moral compensation to the victim’s family, in accordance with international standards for reparations.
- Launch a local awareness campaign on respecting the rule of law and rejecting the indiscriminate use of weapons, with the participation of local community leaders, to combat irregular armament and tribal violence.
