University student Laith Ayman Othman, who hails from the city of Qardaha in the Latakia governorate and belongs to the Alawite community, was injured after being shot by unidentified gunmen on Monday, June 22, 2026, in Hama city.
According to information obtained by “Rights Monitor Syria” from local sources, Othman, a student at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Hama University, was shot while in the vicinity of the university. This resulted in injuries that required his transfer to the hospital for medical treatment, where his health condition was described as unstable.
Local sources reported that the incident took place inside the university campus and suggested it might be linked to the victim’s sectarian background. Conversely, Hama University issued a statement denying that the incident occurred inside the campus or that it bears responsibility for it, asserting that the shooting took place near the university and not within it.
To date, the competent authorities have not announced the results of any official investigation regarding the circumstances of the incident, the identity of the perpetrators, or the potential motives behind the shooting. This makes it difficult to independently verify the circulating allegations concerning the background of the targeting.
This incident occurs against the backdrop of escalating sectarian and hate speech in Syria, amid criticism over the absence of effective measures to hold those inciting hatred and violence accountable. It also coincides with reports concerning the spread of religious-themed advocacy campaigns within some Syrian universities, which raises concerns about the impact of exclusionary discourses on civil peace and the educational environment.
The documentation of this incident underscores the importance of conducting an independent, transparent, and impartial investigation to uncover the circumstances of the incident, identify those responsible, and hold them accountable in accordance with the law, thereby ensuring the protection of students and civilians and preventing the recurrence of such violations.
