The Foundation for the Development of Western Syria (the “Foundation”) today solemnly commemorates the one-year anniversary of the March 2025 massacre that devastated Alawite and Christian communities across Latakia and the broader coastal region of Coastal Syria.

March 2025 stands as one of the darkest chapters in Syria’s modern history. Over a period of days, coordinated attacks targeted civilians in towns and villages stretching from the outskirts of Latakia to rural coastal communities. Armed groups entered residential neighborhoods, executed noncombatants, and forcibly displaced families who had already endured more than a decade of war.

The Scope of the Atrocities

According to documentation gathered by local monitors, clergy, medical personnel, and humanitarian workers:

• Thousands of civilians were killed, the vast majority of them Alawites and Christians.
• Entire families were executed in their homes in rural Latakia province.
• At least 40 churches, monasteries, and religious sites were desecrated, vandalized, or burned.
• Over 25,000 residents were forcibly displaced in a matter of weeks.
• Numerous cases of abduction and enforced disappearance remain unresolved to this day.

Eyewitness accounts describe armed men going door to door, separating men from women and children, and summarily executing community leaders, clergy, and local officials. In several villages, homes were looted and then set ablaze to prevent residents from returning. Survivors reported that emergency medical access was blocked during critical hours, compounding the death toll.

In Christian communities along the coast, ancient churches—symbols of a presence dating back nearly two millennia—were attacked and vandalized. In Alawite-majority villages, entire streets were emptied, leaving behind burned homes and mass graves.

These atrocities occurred despite repeated international pledges to protect Syria’s minority populations and ensure post-conflict stabilization. Instead, vulnerable communities were left exposed to retaliatory violence, extremist reprisals, and sectarian targeting.

A Pattern of Targeted Violence

The March 2025 massacre did not occur in isolation. It followed months of escalating incitement, kidnappings, and targeted killings aimed at terrorizing minority communities in western Syria. Community leaders had warned that hate speech, unchecked militia activity, and the absence of effective security guarantees were creating conditions ripe for mass violence.

The Foundation’s own documentation confirms that the attacks were not spontaneous clashes, but rather coordinated assaults that exploited a security vacuum in coastal areas long considered relative safe havens for minorities fleeing violence elsewhere in the country.

A Call for Justice and Stability

One year later, accountability remains elusive. Many perpetrators continue to operate with impunity. Families of the victims have received neither justice nor adequate humanitarian support. Thousands remain displaced, unable to safely return to their homes.

Today, the Foundation renews its call for:

1. An independent international investigation into the March 2025 massacre and related atrocities.
2. Robust security guarantees for Alawites, Christians, Kurds, Druze, and all minority communities throughout Syria.
3. Safe and voluntary return mechanisms for displaced coastal residents.
4. An inclusive political settlement that protects the rights, property, and religious freedom of all Syrians.
5. Clear international red lines against sectarian violence and demographic engineering.

A Vision for Syria’s Future

Syria’s strength has always been its pluralism. From the earliest days of Christianity to the centuries-old Alawite presence in the coastal mountains, from Kurdish communities in the northeast to Druze in the south, the country’s rich mosaic of faiths and ethnicities is not a weakness but a national treasure.

The Foundation believes that lasting peace in Syria cannot be built on revenge, collective punishment, or sectarian cleansing. It must be built on reconciliation, equal citizenship, and the rule of law.

As we honor the memory of the men, women, and children who lost their lives in March 2025, we affirm that their suffering must not be exploited to deepen divisions. Instead, it must serve as a solemn reminder of the urgent need for peace, stability, and the protection of all minorities.

“On this painful anniversary, we mourn. But we also recommit ourselves to building a Syria where no community lives in fear because of its faith or identity,” said Mohammad Shabaan, President of the Foundation. “The path forward is not sectarianism. It is justice, dignity, and equal protection under the law.”

The Foundation for the Development of Western Syria will host commemorative events in the coming weeks to honor the victims and to advance dialogue among community leaders, policymakers, and international partners committed to safeguarding Syria’s pluralistic heritage.

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