On the urgent need to protect religious minorities in Syria following the recent terrorist attack on Mar Elias Church in Damascus

European Parliament resolution on the 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 its previous resolutions on Syria,

– having regard to the statements by the VP/HR and EEAS Spokesperson of 11 March, 7 May and 23 June 2025 on Syria,

– having regard to the Council conclusions of 23 June 2025 on Syria and the European Council conclusions of 26 June 2025 on the Middle East,

– having regard to Rules 150(5) and 136(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas Syria’s religiously and ethnically diverse society suffered for over a decade at the hands of the violent and divisive Assad regime and terrorist groups, especially Daesh, affecting all communities, including Arabs, Kurds, Sunnis, Shias, Alawites, Christians, Druze and Yazidis;

B. whereas a spree of widespread violence, including sexual violence, along the Syrian coast targeting the Alawite community began in March 2025 and is still ongoing, with over 1 200 civilian victims;

C. whereas widespread sectarian clashes in April 2025 killed over 10 Druze civilians;

D. whereas on 22 June 2025, a suicide terrorist attack on the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus killed at least 25 and injured over 60, marking the deadliest attack against Christians in years; whereas a newly formed Islamist terrorist group, Saraya Ansar al-Sunna, claimed this attack;

1. Strongly condemns the traumatic terrorist attack against the Mar Elias Church and all threats against worship sites, some historically significant; urges the Syrian authorities to improve safety measures and restore the Mar Elias Church;

2. Strongly condemns all attacks targeting religious and ethnic communities and acknowledges heightened fears among them, seven months into the political transition; expresses solidarity with all victims;

3. Urges the Syrian transitional authorities to facilitate swift, transparent and independent investigations into these acts, and take all necessary actions to quell sectarian violence, ensure accountability, including by prosecuting perpetrators and enablers of human rights violations such as in the case of Mar Elias, uphold freedom of religion and protect all communities;

4. Reiterates the EU’s support, including through conditionally lifting sanctions, for a human rights-based political transition in Syria, with transitional justice, the fight against impunity, prohibiting arbitrary violence, inclusive governance and a People’s Assembly required for its success; calls for the EU to create a Syria reconstruction fund, conditional on demonstrable progress on these priorities and in coordination with relevant international institutions, to promote interfaith dialogue, conflict resolution and reconciliation; calls on the Commission to hold the Day of Dialogue Conference in Syria with Syrian civil society as soon as possible;

5. Highlights the vulnerability of Christian communities in Syria;

6. Calls on the Council to maintain and impose more targeted sanctions on actors responsible for religious freedom violations in Syria;

7. Calls for the Syrian transitional authorities, the EU and the Member States to advance efforts against Islamist terrorism, protect all Syrians and tackle the situation in the al-Hol and Roj camps; calls for Syria’s territorial integrity to be respected;

8. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the VP/HR, the European External Action Service, the Council and the Syrian authorities.