Sporadic arrests of other categories of professionals by the transitional government forces have been reported. For instance, individuals suspected of having been involved in violations during the Assad regime’s rule such as government employees,235 former ministers,236 parliamentarians,237 physicians and military judges238 were arrested throughout the reference period.
Infrequent arrests of former Ba’ath Party members, were previously reported though reasons for these detentions were not provided.239 Mere party membership does not typically trigger targeting, as most Syrians were required to join the Ba’ath Party to access state employment in roles such as teaching, medicine, or administration, making membership largely symbolic.240
Between December 2024 and October 2025, forced evictions were reportedly carried out by GSS and government-affiliated armed actors in several areas, including Al Somarya in Damascus and Al-Zahryat, where residents of military housing were given short deadlines to vacate their homes. In some cases, evictions reportedly targeted individuals or families based on perceived affiliation with the former government, including collective expulsions of relatives of accused individuals in Idlib.241 Wives of former officers reportedly also lost their public-sector positions, including in the education and health sectors, apparently after being deemed guilty by association. For many affected individuals, the loss of employment also resulted in the loss of government-provided housing.242
- 235
SNHR At least 1,108 Cases of Arbitrary Arrest and Detention Recorded in 2025, of which 52 were Recorded in December, 3 January 2026, url, p. 10; SNHR, At least 141 Cases of Arbitrary Arrest and Detention Recorded in November 2025, url, pp. 7-8
- 236
Le Monde, En Syrie, sept mois après la chute de Bachar Al-Assad, l’opacité de la justice transitionnelle inquiète la population [In Syria, seven months after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, the opacity of transitional justice worries the population], 12 July 2025, url; Syrian Observer (The), Syrian Interion Ministry Confirms Arrest of Two Former Ministers over Disappeared Children Case, 8 July 2025, url
- 237
Enab Baladi, Syrian General Security arrests Khaled al-Abboud, 21 May 2025, url
- 238
Syrian Observer (The), Five senior officers from former regime arrested in Latakia, 3 December 2025, url
- 239
SOHR, Including secretary in former Al-Baath Party | Five civilians arrested in Baniyas countryside, 30 May 2025, url; Lister, C., Syria Weekly: May 27-June 3, 2025, 3 June 2025, url
- 240
DK, DIS, Syria, Situation of Certain Groups, December 2025, url, p. 64 [Syria Direct]; Syria Justice and Accountability Centre, online interview with EUAA, 11 June 2025
- 241
UN Human Rights Council, Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic (A/HRC/61-62), 12 March 2026, url, para 64-65
- 242
International Crisis Group, Restoring Security in Post-Assad Syria: Lessons from the Coast and Suweida, 26 November 2025, url, pp. 10-11