Syrian inquiry finds most allegations of kidnapped Alawite women are false

A Syrian government-led committee finds that most allegations of kidnapping of women from the Alawite religious minority were false, the findings of the months-long probe released today show.

Syria’s Interior Ministry spokesperson Noureddine al-Baba announces the outcome of the inquiry into 42 allegations of women and girls during widespread violence in March along Syria’s coastal provinces.

Al-Baba says the committee, which was set up in July, spoke to affected women and girls and concluded that only one case was a kidnapping.

“In the one confirmed kidnapping case, the girl was safely returned after security agencies investigated the matter,” Al-Baba tells a news conference. “The search continues to identify the perpetrators.”

Amnesty International said in July it had received credible reports of several dozen Alawite women and girls being kidnapped across the provinces of Latakia, Tartus, Homs, and Hama.

The Syrian inquiry concludes that of the remaining 41 cases it examined, 12 involved women fleeing with romantic partners, nine were “temporary absences” with relatives or friends, six were instances of fleeing domestic violence, six were false allegations on social media, four were victims of extortion or prostitution, and four were perpetrators of criminal offenses who were apprehended by security agencies.

“We urge citizens, civil society, and human rights organizations to first report any such incidents or suspicions to the Interior Ministry,” al-Baba says.

The violence began after armed groups aligned with former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, who belongs to the Alawite minority, attacked government security forces. The counter-insurgency spiraled into sectarian revenge attacks and massacres that killed hundreds of civilians from the Alawite community.