Four Syrian Christians Killed, Six Abducted or Held Over Summer, Rights Group Says
A Christian Solidarity International update on July through September says minorities remain at risk under Syria's new government, and some Christian towns again canceled feast celebrations.
See where this is ›DAMASCUS, Syria —
Four Christians were killed and six others were abducted, arrested or kept in detention in Syria between July 1 and Sept. 30, according to a quarterly update from Christian Solidarity International reported by Christian Daily International.
See where this is ›The dead include George Nemeh, whose body was found Sept. 30 at his farm in Qaya village in Latakia province, and Nader Tannous, who was shot by gunmen in Homs on Aug. 15 after recently coming home from life as a refugee in Sweden. Fadi al-Shaer of Kafr Buhum was seized at gunpoint with his daughter on July 8 and later found shot; his daughter was released. Rani Halawa's body was found July 3 near Jaramana.
Among those held, the report lists engineer Tony Daniel, arrested Aug. 5 after criticizing corruption on television; George Abu Nassar, kidnapped in Sweida on July 27 and released a month later; and Suleiman Khalil, a former mayor of Sadad, who the group says has been held without charge or a lawyer since February 2025.
See where this is ›CSI said most of the cases it tracked involved Alawites and Druze, not Christians. The group reported that Christian communities in Saidnaya and Marmarita canceled public feast celebrations in August for a second year because of insecurity, and that gunmen fired near a cafe in the Christian town of Suqaylabiyah on July 27.
“Syria's new security forces are largely composed of former Islamist fighters drawn from Syria's Sunni majority,” the report states.
Syria's transitional government, led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, took power after Bashar al-Assad's government fell on Dec. 8, 2024. Syria is No. 6 on Open Doors' 2026 World Watch List, compared with No. 18 a year earlier. Watchman News has not independently confirmed the details.
What we don't know yet: These figures come from Christian Solidarity International, a long-standing persecution watchdog, as reported by Christian Daily International. Watchman News could not open the full CSI report or find independent confirmation of each case.
