Testimonies
Stories & Testimonies
First-hand accounts from survivors, witnesses, and families affected by the coastal massacres.
Hanaa Nathir Aqil (60) — Killed with Her Husband and Neighbor in Ein al-Arous
“Hanaa Nathir Aqil, 60, was killed alongside her husband Zuhair Ahmad Junblat, 66, and their neighbor Jan Ibrahim Junblat, 58, on the evening of March 7, 2025, in the village of Ein al-Arous, Qardaha district, Latakia governorate.”
— Documentation — Coastal Massacres, March 2025
Read story →Massacres Sweep Syrian Coast Amid Sectarian Violence Surge — The New York Times
“Syria's coastal towns are witnessing one of the bloodiest waves of sectarian violence since the fall of Bashar al-Assad. The New York Times Syria bureau chief Christina Goldbaum investigates who is behind the escalating atrocities.”
— Christina Goldbaum — The New York Times
Read story →The Abducted Zainab Ghadir al-Dhikra, 17 Years Old | From a Reuters Report
“Zainab was among the youngest abductees — kidnapped on her way to school at age 17. Her abductor sent a threatening text from her phone. In one brief call she said she didn't know where she was and that her stomach hurt — then the line went dead. Her family has heard nothing since.”
— Testimony of a family member | Source: Reuters
Read story →Duaa Fouad Abbas — Abducted at Her Own Doorstep | From a Reuters Report
“Duaa Abbas, 29, was dragged from her doorstep into a waiting car by a group of attackers in the town of Salahb, Hama. A family member who witnessed the abduction chased the vehicle on his motorcycle but lost track of it.”
— Testimony of a family member | Source: Reuters
Read story →The Abducted Nagham Shadi Aysha | From a Reuters Report
“Nagham, 23, left her home in Al-Bayadiyya village on June 2 to buy milk and never returned. Her father describes a painful wait for any news of her fate.”
— Testimony of Shadi Aysha | Source: Reuters
Read story →Harrowing accounts of torture to death in Jolani's prisons — Reuters Investigation
“Reuters documents at least 11 deaths in detention, systematic torture methods, and a Christian merchant whose body showed signs of a bloody wound to the back of the head. A survivor describes being hung by his ankles with a gun placed in his mouth.”
— Reuters Investigation — Detention and Torture in Syria, 2025
Read story →Barabshbu Massacre | The Martyr Child Najm al-Din Othman: 'My Stomach, Mama, My Stomach'
“Um Qais held her 14-year-old son tight as a soldier pointed a weapon at her. She let go when he threatened to kill her too — thinking of her other two children who would be orphaned. They shot Najm in front of the house. His last words were: 'My stomach, mama, my stomach.'”
— Testimony of Um Qais | Source: The Cradle — Barabshbu Massacre, March 2025
Read story →Barabshbu Massacre | The Martyr Ammar Abdullah: 'Your Mother is the One Who Should Bark'
“The massacre began when armed men stopped Ammar Abdullah on his way to retrieve his phone. When they ordered him to bark like a dog, he refused with defiance — and was shot in front of his brothers and family. His was the first bullet fired in the village.”
— Documentation — Barabshbu Massacre, March 2025 | Source: The Cradle
Read story →Um Ayman: 'God Will Not Forgive Whoever Started It'
“A recording from the March 2025 coastal massacres shows an Alawite woman — her sons killed — standing before armed fighters and speaking. Her name is Um Ayman.”
— Documentation — Coastal Massacres, March 2025
Read story →A Father's Testimony: 'They Called Me From His Phone After They Killed Him'
“A father from the village of al-Rasafa near Masyaf testifies to the killing of his son Suleiman Rashid Saad, and his brother's four children, by undisciplined armed factions during the massacres of March 2025.”
— Documentation — Coastal Massacres, March 2025
Read story →Alawite Civilian Pleads for His Life: 'Can't I Buy My Soul?'
“A video documenting the moment a civilian from Hreisoun near Baniyas begged armed men for his life became one of the most shattering testimonies of the coastal massacres.”
— Documentation — Coastal Massacres, March 2025
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