The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) has criticized the promotion of U.S. diplomat Tom Barrack to the position of Special Envoy for Syria and Iraq under President Donald Trump. According to the human rights organization, this decision exacerbates the situation for minorities in Syria, who continue to be persecuted by the new regime in Damascus.
Barrack had previously served as the U.S. Special Envoy for Syria and is also the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had initially announced the end of his tenure as Special Envoy for Syria. Shortly thereafter, U.S. President Trump announced his new role.
“Many members of minority groups hold Tom Barrack largely responsible for their catastrophic situation. He protects the new Islamist rulers in Syria and downplays their crimes against minorities and democratic forces,” says Dr. Kamal Sido, Middle East consultant at STP. “Barrack’s statement that democracy is not suitable for this region is alarming and disparaging toward the people throughout the region. It sheds light on how Western policy treats the people of Syria and the entire Middle East and shows that democratic aspirations are not taken seriously.”
“This policy is causing people in Syria to increasingly lose faith in democracy and human rights. The new rulers in Syria are becoming increasingly normalized politically, while they continue to commit crimes against Syrian minorities,” Sido criticizes.
In the Druze province of al-Suwaida, displaced people are still unable to return to their abandoned villages. During the massacres of the Druze population in southern Syria in July 2025, thousands of homes were burned to the ground. Even the Syrian regime now speaks of 7,144 homes burned down. Many people were killed in the attacks. The Druze areas not under the control of the Islamist regime in Damascus remain cut off from the outside world. Druze continue to be murdered on the access roads to Damascus. In the Alawite areas along the Syrian Mediterranean coast, too, the murders and rapes of the Alawite population continue.
In the so-called “Wadi an-Nasara” (Valley of the Christians) region in western Syria, the approximately 150,000 predominantly Christian residents are facing increasing pressure. “Armed Islamist groups drive through the villages at night, spreading fear among the Christians,” reports the human rights activist.
In the Kurdish areas of northern Syria, the Kurdish and Aramaic languages are being systematically suppressed. More and more signs in Kurdish and Aramaic are disappearing from the streets and government buildings, even though they are official languages in the Autonomous Region. “Many Kurds fear that the agreements reached will not be honored by the regime in Damascus,” says Sido. Thousands of Kurds, including many women who fought for years as members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) against the “Islamic State” (IS), remain in the regime’s prisons in Damascus.
“Germany and the EU must not leave Syria and the Middle East to Trump’s chaotic policies. Europe has a direct interest in promoting stability, democracy, and human rights in Syria. Instability and dictatorships lead to more conflicts, wars, and ultimately also to refugee flows to Europe,” Sido emphasizes.
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 – 65]G378o@5:D]<