Syria in chaos: Hope for Assad's fall, but violence does not tear off!

Syria in chaos: Hope for Assad's fall, but violence does not tear off!

On March 17, 2025, the political situation in Syria continues to be tense after Bashar al-Assad was overthrown three and a half months ago and fled to Russia. The fall of the long -time dictator, who ruled the country with a hard hand for over 13 years, was connected with great hopes for a peaceful turn in the country. But with these hopes, reports on new massacres in the civilian population, which underline the dark reality. According to the Syrian observation center for human rights , hundreds of people, including many alawites.

The new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who is known as head of the Islamist militia HTS (Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham), has already taken the first steps to advance the reconstruction of the country. His foreign minister is currently participating in a donor conference in which representatives of 80 delegations, including Germany, come together to collect financial resources for the necessary rehabilitation. Germany has scope to provide 300 million euros, but the discussion about meaningful investments is made more difficult by the rampant powers.

human rights and hope for justice

The case of Bashar al-Assad is not just a political upheaval; He is also associated with a history of serious human rights violations. According to Agnès Callamard , general secretary of Amnesty International, tens of thousands of people have become victims of disappearance, murder and torture. These crimes committed under the regime of Assad and his father Hafez range from chemical arms attacks to systematic violence against opposition figures.

Callamard expresses hope of life without fear for people in Syria and emphasizes that it is crucial that the new political forces distance themselves from the past. A focus must be on justice and not on retaliation. Amnesty also calls for compliance with humanitarian international law by all parties to the conflict and emphasizes that custody must be treated humanly.

Current developments and humanitarian crisis

The humanitarian situation in Syria is catastrophic. This also becomes clear by a confidential paper from the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which describes the conditions as "catastrophic". Around 15.3 million people urgently need humanitarian aid. The situation is additionally tightened by the economic crisis and the consequences of the earthquake of February 6, 2023. Food prices are more than eight times as high as 2020, and over 90% of the population lives below the poverty line.

Security in different regions of Syria is not guaranteed and a safe return of refugees is impossible. The report states that no region can be classified as safe and refers to the prevailing human rights violations, which also include arbitrary arrests and torture practices. The situation for women and girls who are often victims of sexual violence is particularly devastating.

With the international community, which is committed to encountered conferences, there are hopes that the urgently needed funds will not only be used for reconstruction, but also for the promotion of human rights and justice so that the witch's civil war do not also shape the next generations.