The new regime in Syria launches a campaign of arrest and violence against queer people

Widespread videos have shown a violent persecution and arrest campaign targeting homosexuals and transsexuals in several Syrian cities, confirming that the country, despite liberation from the Assad dictatorship, is still far from achieving the state of citizenship and Human Rights that the Syrian revolution has fought for since 2011. 

Videos showing arrests of homosexuals and transsexuals in Damascus, Aleppo and other cities have spread, the first incident to be filmed and broadcast publicly, despite previous information about similar campaigns since last December, and reported by French and Western media.

These campaigns, which show verbal and physical violence, come in the context of widespread incitement on social networking sites, and highlight the continuation of policies of repression and discrimination against marginalized groups, even by forces claiming to oppose the regime. 

In one of the videos, one of them is arrested, with a threat to rape him, and the video ends without knowing the fate of the detainees, who looked very scared and were pointed at with weapons. One of the supporters of the campaign said that it aims to clean up Syrian society from the “moral decay” spread by the Assad regime, noting that the Assad regime itself has been arresting and denouncing homosexuals as models of”Western liberalism” since 2021, and Syrian law has long criminalized homosexuality. 

These events remind of the necessity of a comprehensive revolutionary struggle that excludes no one and defends the rights of all the oppressed, including LGBT people, in the face of an oppressive system that continues to reproduce itself in new forms.

The comrades and comrades in the queer revolutionary movement have issued a detailed statement condemning these campaigns and calling for organizing efforts in preparation for confrontation and called for a protest demonstration in front of the Syrian embassy in Berlin, the statement said:

Statement condemning the campaign of arbitrary arrests, repression and harassment of the queer community in Syria

We, in the queer revolutionary movement for sexual and gender pluralism in society, declare our strong rejection and condemnation of the systematic campaign of repression and violence targeting members of the queer community in Syria. These attacks are not only an attack on specific individuals, but a direct attack on the values of freedom and human dignity and on the right of everyone to express their identity and life as they see it.

 Conviction:

The de facto authorities and their security militias in Syria have launched a systematic campaign of repression and intimidation against members of the queer community, launching arbitrary arrest campaigns and raids targeting the homes of activists and their gathering places. During these violations, terrible acts of humiliation, sexual harassment, physical and psychological torture are committed with the aim of humiliating the victims and breaking their will. These practices show that the capitalist patriarchal authoritarian regime continues to use the tools of repression to stifle any voice or movement that seeks to reshape power relations and restore the stolen rights.

As the shocking scenes continue to come from Syria, videos are published documenting the horrific moments of the arrest of transgender people by armed members of the commission. These videos show detainees being brutally beaten, humiliated, kicked in the head, and threatened with cutting their genitals with knives, in a scene that dehumanizes them and turns them into legitimate targets of violence and humiliation. Even worse is the wave of hatred spreading among people, some openly express their delight at these violations, while others go on to demand that they be killed or even report their whereabouts to the authorities or militias.

In a country torn apart by war, poverty, displacement, division and destruction, where Syrians suffer from a lack of basic services and countless crises, it seems that the only thing that unites them is their blind hatred of gays and trans people.this hatred is not limited to the direct actors, but extends to a wide audience that finds in these systematic campaigns a green light for violence and humiliation against the queer community, as if these people do not deserve to live with dignity or even survive.

These campaigns not only target individuals with different sexual and gender orientations, but also extend to paralyzing societal mobility that works to break the silence and confront the oppressive regimes that control our bodies and freedom.

 Solidarity with the victims:

Today we stand by every person who has been subjected to any kind of violence or persecution because of their sexual or gender identity. We assure that these attacks will neither discourage nor break our will to strive towards a society that respects diversity and embraces difference. We believe that sexual and gender liberation is an integral part of the class and social struggle, and that queer freedom is closely linked to the struggles of all marginalized and oppressed groups.

 A message to the community:

We send a stark call to all members of Syrian society, especially the feminist, labor and student movements, to stand with us in the face of this repression. We invite you to join a responsible community dialogue on gender and gender issues, to dismantle the prevailing discourse that promotes racism, discrimination and exploitation. We emphasize that the struggle against patriarchy, capitalism and colonialism requires comprehensive unity among all oppressed groups.

Our demands:

1. Immediately and unconditionally release all male and female detainees who have been detained because of their sexual or gender identities.
2. Stop all forms of violence, harassment and violations against members of the queer community, including humiliation, psychological and physical torture.
3. Open an independent and transparent investigation into all violations suffered by members of the queer community, and hold those responsible accountable.
4. Promote community dialogue on queer rights and issues of sexual and gender pluralism, and encourage education and awareness about these issues.
5. Support the building of activist movements that work to undermine repressive regimes and promote the values of freedom, equality and social justice.

 Conclusion:

We in the Revolutionary queer movement affirm that we will not stop fighting until we achieve a society that respects diversity and embraces difference, a society in which there is no place for oppression, discrimination or exclusion. We will continue to work with all marginalized and oppressed groups to achieve this goal, because we believe that radical change is possible when we unite and stand in solidarity.

The cry of queerness is the cry of freedom, and it will remain a cry until justice is achieved for all!

The Revolutionary queer movement for sexual and gender pluralism in society

[6/2/2025]