Syria remains unsafe for minorities: Wishful thinking must not be the basis for asylum decisions

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) warns the German federal government and state governments against mass deportations to Syria. Syria remains unsafe, particularly for members of ethnic and religious minorities such as Druze, Alawites, Yazidis, Ismailis, Christians, and Kurds. People who criticize the new rulers are also at risk, regardless of their ethnic or religious affiliation.

The STP therefore strongly disagrees with the federal government’s assessment of the situation facing minorities in Syria. In its response to a parliamentary question from the AfD, the federal government stated: “There is currently no group-based persecution of individual groups in the country of origin, Syria.” The primary threat to religious minorities in Syria comes from terrorist groups such as the so-called Islamic State (IS). Furthermore, “the Syrian government […] has repeatedly assured that it will protect religious minorities.”

“The German government must not downplay the truth about the new Syrian rulers through wishful thinking: The Sunni Islamists who have been in power in Syria since December 2024 are not democrats. They are enemies of freedom of expression and religion and have no interest in full equality among all ethnic and religious communities in the multi-ethnic state of Syria,” emphasizes Dr. Kamal Sido, Middle East Advisor at STP. The conclusions drawn by both the German federal government and the AfD based on this false characterization are as disastrous as they are inhumane.

“The seemingly moderate rhetoric of the al-Scharaa regime in the media should not be taken seriously and must not serve as a basis for rejecting asylum applications and carrying out deportations. The Islamists of the HTS militia have repeatedly committed crimes against minorities and Syrian democrats during the Syrian civil war. Even after seizing power, they committed mass crimes against Alawites, Druze, and Muslim Kurds who reject radical Islam. This reality must be factored into all asylum decisions as well as the assessment of the security situation in Syria,” demands the human rights activist.

Even Kurds who have integrated into the Syrian army and other security agencies are gradually being murdered or eliminated. One example is the 26-year-old Kurd Sîpan Hiznî (also known as Sami Sheikhmous Hasso). He was a member of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and was abducted and brutally murdered on September 10, 2026, in the Hasakeh region of northeastern Syria. For years, he had fought in the ranks of the SDF against the “Islamic State” (IS) and other radical Islamists.

“We call on the democratic parties in the German Bundestag and other democratic institutions in Germany to pursue a credible policy that strengthens democratic values both domestically and in foreign policy.” Power-political interests, ideological narrow-mindedness, and a lack of credibility weaken democratic institutions in Germany and strengthen radical organizations, both here and in the Arab, Muslim-majority world. This policy also damages Germany’s reputation as a whole.