Armenian caregiver Maral Khashfejian was killed inside her home in the city of Aleppo in northern Syria after being subjected to a violent assault involving fatal stab wounds inflicted with a sharp weapon. The incident occurred on 14 March 2026 and resulted in her death inside her residence in the city center.
According to available information, a group believed to be thieves broke into the victim’s home, where they attacked her with multiple stab wounds using a sharp weapon, which led to her immediate death. After committing the crime, the attackers stole a number of valuable belongings from the house before fleeing to an unknown destination.
The victim, Maral Khashfejian, belonged to the Armenian ethnic community and the Christian faith. She had worked for many years as a caregiver and educator in schools in the city of Aleppo, where she was known among her acquaintances and students for her work in the educational field.
This incident comes amid increasing reports of rising crimes and violations in several areas of Syria, including killings and assaults targeting civilians, particularly members of religious and ethnic minorities.
In a separate incident, on 14 March 2026, the body of citizen Ismail Mustafa Safar was found murdered in the countryside of Homs Governorate in central Syria. The victim belonged to the Ismaili community, and information indicates that he had been lured outside the city of Salamiyah in the Hama countryside before his body was later discovered.
Additionally, the young man Hussein Rassem Al-Rajo, a member of the Alawite community, was killed on 13 March 2026 in the Al-Muhajireen neighborhood – Al-Basil suburb of the city of Homs, after being assaulted with a piece of glass to the neck area, which resulted in his immediate death.
These incidents indicate the continued occurrence of assaults and killings targeting civilians in different areas of Syria, amid reports of killings, kidnappings, forced displacement, and other violations. Local and human rights actors have called for the adoption of effective measures to protect civilians and ensure accountability for these violations.
