MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on urgent need to protect religious minorities in Syria following the recent terrorist attack on Mar Elias Church in Damascus

8.7.2025 - (2025/2798(RSP))

with request for inclusion in the agenda for a debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law
pursuant to Rule 150 of the Rules of Procedure

Adam Bielan, Bert-Jan Ruissen, Aurelijus Veryga, Carlo Fidanza, Marlena Maląg, Joachim Stanisław Brudziński, Sebastian Tynkkynen, Bogdan Rzońca, Arkadiusz Mularczyk, Alexandr Vondra, Reinis Pozņaks, Ondřej Krutílek, Veronika Vrecionová, Emmanouil Fragkos, Ivaylo Valchev, Małgorzata Gosiewska, Guillaume Peltier, Alberico Gambino, Marion Maréchal, Nicolas Bay, Laurence Trochu, Anna Zalewska, Assita Kanko, Waldemar Tomaszewski
on behalf of the ECR Group

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B10-0335/2025

B10‑0345/2025

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on urgent need to protect religious minorities in Syria following the recent terrorist attack on Mar Elias Church in Damascus

(2025/2798(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to Rule 150 (5) of its Rules of Procedure,

 

A. whereas on 22 June a terrorist attack, claimed by the Islamist group Saraya Ansar al-Sunna, killed over 25 and wounded about 60 worshippers in the Greek-Orthodox Mar Elias Church in Damascus; whereas one of the perpetrators reportedly was affiliated with the Syrian Ministry of Defence; whereas islamist militia regularly intimidate Christians at checkpoints and loot homes of Christians; whereas Syria’s Christian population has steeply declined since 2011 due to its targeting by both the Assad regime, as well as by Daesh and other terrorist groups;.

 

B. Whereas since April at least 134 people were killed in a wave of violence by militant islamists against the Druze community in Jaramana and Sahnaya;

 

C. whereas since the retaliatory attacks in March by members of the Syrian security forces and the SNA, foreign fighters and jihadists, targeting Alawites, resulting in over 1700 casualties, anti-Alawi violence still has not decisively ended; whereas since January close to 90 Alawite women have reportedly been abducted, including with complicity of security agents;

 

D. whereas while the transitional authorities have made assurances of protection and inclusion to religious minorities, recent developments fuel the climate of fear and call into question their credibility and capability to duly protect religious minorities;

 

 

1. Strongly condemns the terrorist attack perpetrated against Mar Elias Church, the mass killings and other forms of violence against Christians, Alawites and Druze and the abduction of Alawite women;

 

2. Notes with concern that many HTS members with grave human rights violations records have assumed roles within the interim administration, with potentially concerning implications for religious freedom, evidenced by the recurrence of incidents involving Syrian officials;

 

3. Calls on the caretaker authorities to rein in all violent factions; calls for prompt, transparent and impartial investigations into all killings and other violations and for those responsible to be held to account; urges the caretaker government to ensure that all military and security appointments are based strictly on professional qualifications, respect for international human rights and a commitment to combating terrorism; expresses concern regarding the presence of foreign extremist fighters and cautions against integrating them permanently into the Syrian security apparatus;

 

4. Calls on the caretaker authorities to step up their efforts to ensure safety, equality and freedom for all religious minorities and security guarantees for worship sites, to ban all discriminatory practices and rhetoric targeting religious or ethnic groups and to restore and protect cultural heritage sites;

 

5. Calls on the Council to maintain existing and impose additional targeted sanctions on any Syrian entities, including non-state actors and their leaders, responsible for religious freedom violations both before and after the fall of the Assad regime;

 

6. Calls on the EU to condition the lifting of sanctions on the transitional  authorities’ improvement of religious freedom conditions, while monitoring the actions of Syrian authorities when evaluating further engagement;

 

7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the EU institutions, the Member States and the caretaker Syrian government.