The website of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, along with its official accounts on social media platforms, was subjected to a large-scale cyberattack on the evening of Wednesday, 31 December 2025. The attack was carried out by hacking groups and “electronic flies” linked to the temporary Syrian authorities in Damascus, in the largest attack of its kind that the Observatory has faced since its establishment.
According to the Observatory’s documentation, the attacks were carried out simultaneously and aimed to disable the website, hack the official accounts, and steal their digital identity, in addition to damaging or accessing stored data and human rights documents. The attack was preceded by announcements and public incitement published by accounts supportive of the temporary authority and its head, Ahmad al-Sharaa, some of which are linked to official institutions such as the Media Office at the Presidency of the Republic and the Ministry of Information. These accounts set seven o’clock in the evening, Damascus time, as the start time of the attack, which continued past midnight.
This attack comes within the context of a broader escalation of systematic media campaigns that have targeted the Observatory in recent times through defamation and casting doubt on its credibility and the integrity of its staff. The Observatory described these campaigns as the most severe since its establishment on 1 May 2006, and noted that they are led by official and media bodies affiliated with the transitional authorities.
The Observatory affirms that these attacks and threats, regardless of their scale, will not deter it from continuing to carry out its human rights and humanitarian role in monitoring, documenting, and publishing human rights violations in Syria by all parties, and working to convey them to the relevant bodies, in defense of victims’ rights and in pursuit of justice and accountability.
“Rights Monitor,” Human Rights Monitor platform in Syria, expresses its strong condemnation of the coordinated cyberattack that targeted the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, considering it a serious violation of freedom of expression and human rights work, and a systematic attempt to silence independent voices that document violations and defend the rights of victims. The platform affirms that targeting human rights institutions, whether through cyberattacks or campaigns of incitement and defamation, constitutes a direct assault on the right to access the truth and undermines the principles of transitional justice and the rule of law. The platform calls on the temporary Syrian authorities to immediately halt these practices, ensure the protection of human rights defenders, and respect Syria’s obligations under international human rights law.
