Abductions target Alawite women in Syria
Warning: This report contains accounts of sexual violence that may be distressing to some readers. Reports of abductions and sexual violence against women from the Alawite minority have emerged in western Syria following the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. Several survivors and families have described kidnappings allegedly carried out by armed men claiming to be linked to security forces. Many of the reported cases occurred in and around Latakia province, a coastal region with a significant Alawite population. One teenager, identified here as Ramia to protect her identity, said she was abducted near her village in Latakia by three armed men who forced her into a vehicle. She alleges she was beaten and held for two days in a locked room. According to her account, her captors insulted her religious affiliation and threatened to sell her. […]