Key Contributions, Background and Insights from the UN Forum

05 Aralık 2025
96 kez görüntülendi.

At the UN Human Rights Forum on Minorities, IDHRV-ARMIL Calls for Effective Measures to Protect Syrian Women from Minority Groups Against Abduction, Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.

Geneva, Switzerland – 27 November 2025

Associate Professor Jens Kreinath Urges Protection for Minorities

At the 18th session of the Forum on Minority Issues of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva (*1), Associate Professor Jens Kreinath, Director of the Institute for the Documentation of Human Rights Violations against Religious Minorities in the Levant (IDHRV-ARMIL), gave a brief two-minute address to emphatically draw attention to the ongoing violence against Syrian women from religious minorities:

“On behalf of the Alawite Americans of the United States, I raise concerns about the targeting of Syrian minorities – especially Alawite women – who face abduction and sexual exploitation.”

The institute he heads has already documented 125 cases involving women from various religious communities who were abducted and subsequently subjected to sexual abuse and, in some cases, rape.

“Systematic abductions of non-Sunni women, treated as ‘spoils of war,’ expose authority complicity.”

According to eyewitness reports,

“families of the abducted face intimidation, are pressured into silence or denial, reinforcing impunity.”

In his speech, Associate Professor Kreinath particularly noted the possible involvement of the Syrian Security Forces and authorities. According to the expert, cooperation with them is rare, and investigations are frequently obstructed.

In eleven documented cases, Syrian government security forces were found to be directly involved in the abductions. In the report, Associate Professor Kreinath emphasised that perpetrators often passed through several checkpoints with their abduction victims without intervention by security forces – an indication of widespread complicity and the absence of effective guaranteed prosecution.

He also highlighted similar practices by the Islamic State (IS) and Al-Qaeda, which exploit women through forced marriage and sexual violence. This recurring pattern of violence against women from religious and ethnic minorities forms part of a broader strategy to divide communities, spread fear and expand and consolidate power under the guise of religious ideology.

In addition to the alarming situation in Syria, Associate Professor Kreinath drew attention to the plight of Syrian women who were forced to seek safety in Lebanon to escape the violence in Syria.

“These women are at acute risk of human trafficking, exploitation and arbitrary detention there.”

Here as well, he called for increased and effective international support to ensure women are fully protected.

“In line with calls for greater protection of minority women in conflict zones, UN agencies and Member States must act urgently and decisively to recognise Syrian minority women as victims of trafficking, rather than punishing them.”

Further demands included gender-specific protective measures such as legal assistance, independent monitoring of detention conditions, and an end to turning away women fleeing persecution.

“Women from vulnerable minorities are entitled to protection, dignity and justice under international law,”

emphasised Associate Professor Kreinath.

“Hence, the UN agencies and Member States must

hold state and non-state actors accountable for trafficking,
assure proper documentation of atrocities,
protect the most vulnerable in these religious minorities, and furthermore,
extend the UN Special Rapporteur’s mandate to Syria,
safeguard minority rights and inclusive governance, and
prevent further genocide.”

Mutaz Zakia on the Situation of Alawite Refugees from Syria

As a representative of IDHRV-ARMIL, Mutaz Zakia reported on the case of the 22 Alawite refugees from Syria, whose situation has been extensively documented by the Institute.

The refugees were thrown overboard by crew members of a Greek coast guard rescue vessel in international waters off the coast of Muğla and then picked up and rescued from the Mediterranean by Turkish coast guard.

Zakia told the UN forum that refugees were not only living in inhumane conditions, but were also subjected to verbal and non-verbal abuse, with many being pressured to return to Syria ‘voluntarily’. The IDHRV-ARMIL has already authorised members of the Turkish Bar Association to refer this case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) under Rule 39 in order to ensure personal protection through a safe escape corridor. (*2)

Impressions from the Forum on Minority Issues

Ms Lemia Yiyit, one of the two representatives of the German IDHRV-ARMIL delegation, highlighted the importance of the UN forum stating:

“The United Nations was founded in 1945 to maintain world peace, strengthen international security, protect human rights and promote cooperation between states. At the 18th session of the UN Forum on Minority Issues, minorities worldwide were given an important platform to draw attention to human rights violations in their countries – an opportunity they are often otherwise denied.”

Representatives of various human rights
organisations for minorities

Position Paper and Press Release

At the Minority Forum, the IDHRV-ARMIL Institute presented UN Special Rapporteur Prof. Dr Nicolas Levrat with a summary of the policy paper ‘Safeguarding Minority Rights and Inclusive Governance in Syria’

> To the English version of the policy paper

> To the French version of the policy paper

> To the German version of the policy paper

> To the Turkish version of the policy paper

The position paper drafted by Associate Professor Kreinath and his advisors, along with the recommendations highlighted in his speech, could prove essential Syria’s future, as UN Special Rapporteur Prof. Levrat is currently finalising his annual report on the human rights situation of religious, linguistic and ethnic minorities and is urgently seeking solutions for the situation of minorities in Syria.

Meeting with the UN Special Rapporteur
on Minorities, Prof. Dr. Nicolas Levrat

In the wake of the conference, multiple organisations issued press releases.

Ms Lemia Yiyit shared her impressions and experiences from the UN headquarters in Geneva:

“I am grateful that we were able to participate on behalf of our institute and report on the human rights violations against Alawites, Christians, Druze and other religious, linguistic and ethnic minorities in Syria.”

Associate Professor Kreinath stressed emphatically that the IDHRV-ARMIL team was trying to give a voice to the voiceless. In addition, his institute documents atrocities committed by both state and non-state actors. He closed with a call:

“The war and propaganda against religious minorities must stop”.

Footnotes

(*1)

Links to the 18th session of the Forum on Minority Issues of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva:

https://www.ohchr.org/en/events/forums/2025/eighteenth-session-forum-minority-issues

1st Meeting:

on 27 November 2025, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1j/k1j3nv0q9b

4th Meeting:

on 28 November 2025, 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM

https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k15/k15d5osof3

(*2)

See the practical guide published by the UNHCR on Article 39 of the Rules of Procedure of the European Court of Human Rights for persons in need of international protection:

https://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/-/launch-of-unhcr-rule-39-toolkit

and

https://www.echr.coe.int/documents/604084/839313/Rules_Court_ENG.pdf/9867832e-6b9d-3442-031b-43217bbfa1bd?version=14.0&t=1758007123051&download=true

More Images from the Conference