Christians and other minorities are at heightened risk of being killed or abducted under the Syrian Transitional Government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, according to a report by advocacy and aid group Christian Solidarity International (CSI).
Four Christians were killed in Syria from July 1 to Sept. 30, with the body of George Nemeh found murdered at his farm in Qaya village, Latakia Governorate on Sept. 30, CSI reported.
Nader Tannous, who had recently returned from life as a refugee in Sweden, was shot dead by gunmen on Aug. 15 in Homs while returning home from work at a hair salon he had opened. He was originally from Wadi al-Nasara (Valley of the Christians) in the countryside of Homs, according to the report.
Fadi al-Shaer, a Christian from Kafr Buhum, was killed after being abducted at gunpoint with his daughter on July 8. His body was found with gunshot wounds while his daughter was released, CSI reported
The body of Rani Halawa, a Christian and brother of Father Rafi Halawa, was found on July 3, several hours after he went missing near Jaramana, a Druze majority town with a large Christian population surrounded by Sunni towns on the outskirts of Damascus, according to the report.
The victims in most of the cases chronicled were Alawites, Druze Shiites, with Alawite women and girls especially vulnerable to sexual violence and forced marriage, the report notes. The quarterly update covering July, August and September highlights known or suspected attacks against religious minorities in Syria as an indicator of the ongoing threats to religious minorities in the country.
On Dec. 8, 2024, the 54-year-old dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad collapsed, bringing an end to an era of widespread state terror and mass violence, and it was replaced by the government of Al-Sharaa, a former member of Al-Qaeda whose forces committed numerous atrocities against religious minorities in Syria during the uprising against the prior regime, CSI Notes.
“The Syrian Transitional Government has publicly committed to protecting the rights of all Syrians, regardless of ethnic or religious background. But Syria’s new security forces are largely composed of former Islamist fighters drawn from Syria’s Sunni majority,” the report states. “Government and government-aligned forces carried out large-scale massacres of Alawite Muslim civilians in March 2025 and Druze civilians in July 2025.”
Six Christians from July through September were abducted, arbitrarily arrested or remained detained from previous arrests, the report states.
On Aug. 5, Christian engineer Tony Daniel was arrested by General Security forces after criticizing corruption within the Syndicate of Engineers on a television program.
“The manner of his arrest, “resembling an abduction,” as well as the charges, reportedly based on a singular complaint under Syria’s Assad-era cybercrime laws, sparked outcry from human rights activists and lawyers,” CSI notes.
On Aug. 2, Fadi Semaan, a Christian man, went missing on the Damascus-Saidnaya road. Another Christian, George Abu Nassar, was kidnapped in Sweida in southern Syria on July 27.
“He was released one month later, bearing scars from torture following intervention by a General Security official, who said he used his contacts to secure the release, reportedly preceded by a ransom demand of at least $20,000,” the report states.
On July 19, a 24-year-old Christian woman, Samia al-Nasser, went missing while traveling from Homs Governorate to Damascus to visit family. Also on July 19, Nihad Hassan, a convert to Christianity and pastor of The Good Shepherd Kurdish Evangelical Church in Lebanon, was detained by government security forces while visiting his family in Afrin in northern Syria. He was released after more than two weeks of detention, the report states.
Suleiman Khalil, former mayor of the Syriac Orthodox town of Sadad who organized its defense against the Islamic State in November 2015, has been detained without charge and without access to a lawyer since February 2025.
Gunmen from Qalaat al-Mudiq on July 27 stormed the neighboring Christian town of Suqaylabiyah and opened fire near a café, the report states.
“This is only the latest incident of harassment against the Christian town by its Sunni neighbors, including a violent pogrom in March and the forced closure of its main church, which has prompted consistent emigration,” the report states. “Residents continue to protest for the release of young men detained by the security forces.”
Christian communities in Saidnaya and Marmarita in the central province of Homs cancelled public celebrations related to religious feasts in August for the second year in a row, citing insecurity and sensitivity to families impacted by violence and detentions.
Three people were reported killed and dozens wounded on Aug. 6 in the majority Druze district of Jaramana, when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was detonated inside a commuter van. A fourth victim, a Christian woman, succumbed to her wounds three weeks later.
“The area had seen Druze-led anti-government protests the month before, after which General Security forces reportedly shouted “Allahu Akbar [God is greater]” when dispatched to the area in a show of force,” the CSI report notes.
Christians of Al-Sawra village in Sweida Governorate issued a statement on Aug. 8 condemning desecration of their cemeteries by occupying forces.
“Once a mixed Christian and Druze town, residents were displaced when government forces took over in July 2025 amid sectarian attacks against the Druze, and images have since emerged of looting and burning of the town, and most recently, the opening of graves,” CSI reported.
Islamist militants on Aug. 29 attacked a liquor store in the Christian town of Kafr Buhum in Hama Governorate, creating panic, the report states.
“In early September, a career portal opened by the Ministry of Defense asked new graduates which parts of the Quran they had memorized and what mosque they attended, sending a public message that only Muslims were sought, and more specifically, that the government may discriminate against those not adhering to the Salafist beliefs or affiliations of the government,” the report notes.
Syria was ranked No. 6 on Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List (WWL), a dramatic decline from its ranking the previous year at No. 18, largely due to a spike in violence.
