Syrian Officials Dispute Claims of Widespread Abductions of Alawite Women

Syrian Interior Ministry Investigation Finds Most Alawite Abduction Claims Unfounded

Syria’s Interior Ministry has concluded that 41 out of 42 reported cases of alleged abductions of Alawite women were unfounded, according to a statement by ministry spokesman Noureddine Al Baba on Sunday.

The investigation, conducted by a high-ranking ministerial committee formed in July, examined cases that had been reported to police or circulated on social media, sparking widespread concern within the Alawite community and beyond.

“It turned out that 41 of these cases were not abductions,” Al Baba told reporters. “What was rumored about widespread abductions of Alawite women was totally untrue.”

According to the ministry’s findings, a dozen of the reported cases involved women who had voluntarily left with romantic partners. Nine cases were classified as “short absences” where women were away with relatives or friends for less than 48 hours. Six cases involved women fleeing family violence, while another six were determined to be false claims spread on social media.

The spokesman said four cases were related to “prostitution or embezzlement,” and four others involved “capital offenses” that resulted in arrests, though he provided no further details on these cases.

“There was only one case of a real crime of abduction,” Al Baba confirmed. “The girl was returned safely after the security forces followed up on the case. A search is ongoing to identify the perpetrators.”

The investigation covered reports filed between January 1 and September 10 of this year. Al Baba urged citizens to report any additional cases that may not have been registered with authorities.

Reports of abductions targeting Alawite women began emerging early this year as government security forces conducted operations in areas with significant Alawite populations, particularly in the coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus, and in Hama and Homs provinces in central Syria.

These operations were described by officials as targeting “regime remnants” following the overthrow of former dictator Bashar Al Assad, who was an Alawite, last year. The military actions resulted in at least 1,300 Alawite civilian deaths, according to reports, with most occurring during a two-day period in March when government troops and affiliated militias entered coastal areas in what was described as an operation to neutralize a nascent insurgency.

The credibility of the investigation has been questioned by some within the Alawite community. Mohammad Al Zuaiter, an Alawite civic leader from the coastal region, described the ministry’s findings as “self-serving” given the heavy presence of security forces and loyalist militias in areas where the alleged abductions took place.

“This was obviously not an independent investigation, and there was no international party to it either,” Al Zuaiter said. “But it gives the authorities room to maneuver by telling the world that they conducted an inquiry, especially since the abductions have subsided in the last four months.” He also noted that forced disappearances of Alawite men continue to occur.

The allegations of targeted abductions had previously drawn international concern. In July, the office of the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Syria expressed “grave concern over alarming reports of targeted abductions, disappearances and gender-based violence against women and girls, particularly from the Alawite community.”

According to the UN, victims reportedly included girls as young as three, with abductions occurring in “broad daylight while travelling to school, visiting relatives or in their homes.” The UN report also mentioned that some families had received threats discouraging them from pursuing investigations or speaking publicly about the cases.

Syria’s current leadership under President Ahmad Al Shara, who leads the Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS) group, a former Al Qaeda splinter organization, has struggled to establish trust with the country’s minority communities. Tensions with Alawite, Druze, and Kurdish populations have persisted since the new government took power, as its combat forces are predominantly Sunni.

The ministry’s investigation represents an apparent effort to address these concerns, though skepticism remains about whether it will help improve relations between the government and the Alawite community, which continues to face significant challenges in post-Assad Syria.