The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) accuses the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) of ignoring evidence of persecution of the Alawite minority in Syria and sharply criticizes a corresponding report from January 2026. The human rights organization is calling for a nationwide halt to deportations of Alawites, Druze, Kurds, and other Syrian minorities.
Believing the Islamist regime’s assurances that it would protect the rights of minorities, even though it is deliberately attacking the Alawites, Druze, and Kurds, is beyond incomprehensible. It is a deliberate distortion of the facts. It is unacceptable that people seeking protection in Germany should have to fear being deported to a country where they will be persecuted,” says Dr. Kamal Sido, STP’s Middle East consultant.
The report by the BAMF continues to describe the Islamist regime in Damascus as “fundamentally moderate” and includes a chapter entitled “Syria: Currently no group persecution of Alawites,” which summarizes two relevant court rulings. Both the BAMF itself and the court rulings cited in the report establish a link between the attacks on Alawites and alleged support for the Assad regime. According to the cited ruling by the Cologne Administrative Court, in the case of an Alawite Syrian, there is insufficient evidence of group persecution of Alawites and no well-founded fear of persecution, as the man “has no connections to the Assad government.” The BAMF also refers to “military operations against former members of the Assad government” as the ‘origin’ of the massacres of the civilian population.
“The attacks in March 2025 were an attempt at genocide against the Alawites. During the massacres, calls were made to exterminate the minority. Civilians, women, and children were publicly executed. The entire Alawite community was and is under general suspicion by the new rulers of having supported Assad. This is used as a pretext for the ongoing attacks. However, the decisive factor is that they are Alawites. The atrocities and calls for violence are documented in countless videos. These facts are not mentioned in the BAMF report,“ criticizes Middle East consultant Sido. ”It is scandalous that the propaganda of the Islamist regime is blindly accepted in Germany and that the evidence of the targeted persecution of the Alawites is ignored. The trivialization of the new regime in Damascus is a mockery for Syrian minorities who live in daily fear of attacks.”
“In mid-April 2025, unnoticed by the Islamist rulers in Damascus, I visited the Alawite region of Syria and saw the traces of the attacks with my own eyes. Alawites who had survived the attacks told me that people were dragged from their homes and shot. They heard the Islamists shouting from their vehicles that their goal was to ‘slaughter Alawites’. They reported that entire families had been wiped out and many Alawite women had been abducted and raped. The people’s fear of further attacks was palpable. There, as everywhere in Syria, the Alawites are effectively fair game,” said the human rights activist.
The STP also criticizes the fact that the BAMF refers to an “investigation commission” set up by the Islamist rulers for information on the number of Alawite victims. This commission speaks of 1,426 victims. “This investigation was not independent, but was carried out by the regime in Damascus. Due to the uncertain situation on the ground, it is currently impossible to determine an exact number, but the evidence we have suggests a significantly higher number of victims,” says Sido. The STP and other sources estimate that between 30,000 and 60,000 Alawites have been killed, injured, captured, or displaced. The assumption that the Islamic regime in Damascus is a reliable source in this regard is fatal.
“Germany and other NATO countries, especially Turkey, have helped the Islamists in Syria to power by supporting numerous militias with money and weapons. They therefore bear responsibility for protecting the Alawite population.Germany has at least a moral obligation to accept every Alawite refugee who seeks asylum and protection in Germany. Even in Germany, many Alawites hide their identity in order to be able to live here. If they cannot find peace here from the hostility of Syrian Islamists, how can they live in peace and dignity in Syria?” said Sido.
This press release was translated from German to English using AI. If you come across errors or ambiguities, please contact us at 65]G378o6DD6CA.
Contact: Dr. Kamal Sido, Middle East consultant – 65]G378o@5:D]<