The killing of four civilians from the Alawite sect was documented in the city of Latakia during protests that took place on 28 December 2025, in addition to a subsequent killing case linked to the same context.
The incidents occurred against the backdrop of peaceful protests witnessed in cities and towns along the Syrian coast and in the west of the country, which were accompanied by gunfire and assaults, according to circulated video materials and local testimonies.
Documentation of the Victims During the Protests of the First Day (28 December 2025)
Nour Badr Ghirra
Date: 28 December 2025
Location: City of Latakia
Identity: Civilian, from the Alawite sect
Accused party: Members of the General Security and pro-regime loyalists
Haider Maalla
Date: 28 December 2025
Location: City of Latakia
Identity: Civilian, from the Alawite sect
Accused party: Members of the General Security
Zain al-Abidin Azzam Hussein
Date: 29 December 2025 (died as a result of his wounds)
Place of injury: City of Latakia, during the 28 December protests
Identity: Civilian, from the Alawite sect
Accused party: Members of the General Security
Haider Sajee‘ Rabee‘
Date: 28 December 2025 (death occurred later as a result of the injury)
Location: City of Latakia
Identity: Civilian, from the Alawite sect
Accused party: A pro-regime loyalist, with the assistance of members of the General Security
Circumstances of the incident:
Haider Sajee‘ Rabee‘ was injured during the protests as a result of a ramming incident carried out by a person loyal to the regime. According to available information, the perpetrator was not held accountable.
Subsequent Killing Cases Linked to the Same Context
Youssef Hossam Daoud
Date: 29–30 December 2025
Location: City of Latakia
Identity: Civilian, from the Alawite sect, owner of shoe shops
Accused party: Pro-regime loyalists
Circumstances of the incident:
Circulated video clips showed pro-regime loyalists stopping the car of the young man Youssef Hossam Daoud while he was returning to his home. Subsequent information reported his killing as a result of being shot during this assault.
Cities along the Syrian coast and in the west of the country witnessed protests on Sunday, 28 December 2025, in which members of the Alawite sect participated. These included Latakia, Tartous, Jableh, Baniyas, and al-Qardaha, in addition to the city of Homs and its countryside, and areas in the Hama countryside.
According to circulated video clips, deaths and injuries occurred as a result of gunfire directed at protesters by General Security forces affiliated with the interim authority “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham,” in addition to assaults carried out by supporters of the authority to disperse gatherings, along with the establishment of security checkpoints and the blocking of roads in a number of cities and neighborhoods.
The arrest of dozens of citizens from the Alawite sect was also recorded during the days following the protests in Latakia, Tartous, Jableh, Homs, and other areas in western Syria.
The mobilizations came in response to a call issued by Sheikh Ghazal Ghazal, head of the Supreme Alawite Islamic Council in Syria and the diaspora, following the bombing that targeted the Ali ibn Abi Talib Mosque in the city of Homs, which resulted in the killing of at least ten people and the injury of more than twenty others, all of whom were from the Alawite sect.
The protesters raised demands related to federalism and political decentralization, and to stopping what they described as killing based on identity and the violations committed against members of the sect.
