Outrage in Syria over videos of 'field executions' of Druze civilians in Suweida

Video of a Druze man being executed by fighters reportedly loyal to the Syrian government because of his religious identity has caused mass outrage across Syria, which is reeling from sectarian violence.

Fierce clashes in the southern province of Suweida between Druze militias, Bedouin fighters and government forces have left hundreds of people killed, most of them civilians.

Security forces allied to the government in Damascus have been accused of carrying out summary executions in the province, the heartland of Syria’s Druze.

In the video, which has widely circulated online, a middle-aged man appears to be sitting on the ground with a gun pointed at him.

When asked about his religion, the man on the ground replies "I’m Syrian."

"What does Syrian mean, [are you] Muslim or Druze?" the gunman shouts at him, as other gunmen are heard saying "he’s Druze, he’s Druze, his identity [document] says he’s Druze."

"[Are you] Druze or not?" says the gunman pointing the weapon, to which the victim says, "I am Druze," before being repeatedly shot, and then died.

The armed individuals then begin chanting in Arabic, "God is the greatest."

The Syrian Network for Human Rights said it had recorded 558 deaths in the violence in Suweida as of Monday evening. Another war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, says over 1,300 people have been killed.

Clashes erupted in Suweida earlier this month between Druze factions and Bedouin tribal fighters following a reported armed robbery of merchant and a series of retaliatory kidnappings.

The violence quickly escalated into sectarian clashes, leaving hundreds dead and tens of thousands displaced, with both sides accused of committing crimes. 

The situation has been relatively calm as a ceasefire went into effect over the weekend following foreign intervention, although government forces have been unable to deploy in Suweida, while thousands of people remain displaced.

Bedouin families have recently been evacuated from the troubled province, which the Syrian government says is temporary. 

Dozens of videos have gone viral over the past week, reportedly showing fighters from the defence and interior ministries killing or kidnapping people.

While many on social media have claimed the assailants in the video of the execution of the man are government forces, this has not been confirmed, although they are seen in military uniforms.

Other claims have said they may belong to Bedouin or other Sunni militias.

The slain man was identified as being from the Al Rojme family, according to a Facebook account that allegedly belongs to the man's nephew.

Hashtags such as "I'm Syrian" and "What does Syrian mean" have been trending online, serving as a chilling reminder of how national identity is collapsing under the weight of rising sectarianism.

The country has already reeled under 14 years of a brutal civil war, which began when the regime of Bashar al-Assad reacted to peaceful protests with militarised violence in 2011.

In December last year, an alliance of rebels, led by the now-dissolved Islamist group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), spearheaded a lighting offensive that ousted Assad from power.

But bouts of violence across the country targeting especially minority groups, such as the massacres in the majority-Alawite coastal region in March, previous fighting with the Druze, and a suicide bombing at a Damascus church this month, have caused grave concern for religious and ethnic minorities.

The bloodshed constitutes a major challenge to Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government, which is trying to rebuild international relations, unite the country, and look for foreign aid as well as integrate a disparate network of armed groups into the government’s armed forces.

Sharaa himself led HTS, which was previously the Syrian offshoot of Al-Qaeda, but cut ties to it in 2017.

Repeated atrocities

The video of gunmen summarily executing the Druze man over his religious identity is not the first to appear from the violence in Suweida.

Another video that went viral shows three men being forced to jump off a balcony when government or government-aligned forces break into their home.

"Go on, throw yourselves!" the gunmen are heard shouting repeatedly.

As the three men jump over the balcony, they are shot multiple times.

It was later revealed that they were brothers from the Arnous family - two doctors and an engineer.

In another incident, several men from the same family were executed at a roundabout in Suweida when government forces stormed the city.

In a video, at least six men from the Saraya family plus another relative were seen forced to walk to Tishreen roundabout in Suweida at gunpoint before being shot dead. Among them was an American-Syrian citizen.

An academic who was visiting Syria after 12 years was among hundreds killed too.

"With a broken heart, we say goodbye to my cousin, Dr. Firas Abu Latif, a kind and brilliant Syrian-French academic," wrote Samer Fahed in a post on X, with photos of Abu Latif.

"He was found murdered and burned in his home in As-Suwayda, after a violent raid by forces from the "Ministry of Defence" and "General Security Directorate" led by HTS and the new so-called transitional president of Syria," he said.

"Dr. Firas was a respected researcher in France, specialised in Data Mining. He dedicated his life to science, truth. He was killed during his vacation with his family in Syria after more than 12 years away," he added.