Alevi organizations in Turkey calls for action against human rights violations in Syria
Alevi organizations in Turkey gathered against the hate crimes and attacks against religious minorities in Syria after the fall of Assad.
Duvar English
In Adana’s Seyhan district, the Alevi Civil Initiative on Feb. 22 staged a protest and held a press conference drawing attention to human rights abuses targeting Alevi and other religious communities in Syria after the fall of Assad.
Alevi community leaders, civil society organizations, political party representatives, and many attendees condemned “ongoing acts of violence, including torture and executions since Dec. 8.”
On Dec. 8, 2024, sunni-Islamist Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad after years of civil war.
The Alevi organizations urged national and international bodies to take action, declaring, "End inhumane practices in Syria."
Alevi Bektaşi Federation (ABF) Chair Mustafa Aslan called for unity against sectarian conflicts, emphasizing the importance of peaceful coexistence among Syria’s diverse communities.
Alevi leaders also called on the Turkish government to intervene.
Aslan stated that jihadist groups like HTS of intolerance and oppression, stating that the Turkish government has a responsibility to act. He criticized Ankara’s past support for opposition groups in Syria, linking it to the current crisis.
Ali Yeral, head of the Ehlibeyt Cultural and Solidarity Foundation (EHDAV), confirmed ongoing communication with Syrian Alevi communities and relayed their suffering to authorities.
The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) lawmaker Müzeyyen Şevkin linked the violence to broader energy conflicts in the Middle East, asserting that massacres were not separate from geopolitical struggles in the region.
The Alawites in Syria are especially dominant on the Syrian coast and considered the third largest religious group in the country, after the Sunni and Shi'a Muslims. Former President Assad is also an Alawite.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has documented a series of sectarian attacks targeting Alawite communities following the fall of Bashar al-Assad. According to SOHR, military operations carried out in late January resulted in the deaths of at least 35 people, with 40 others forcibly disappeared.