Religious Freedom in Syria’s Post-Assad Transition

U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Hearing

Religious Freedom in Syria’s Post-Assad Transition

Thursday, November 13, 2025
10:30 AM-12:00 PM ET
Virtual 

Hearing Transcript
Hearing Summary
 

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) held a virtual hearing on religious freedom in Syria under the transitional authorities. 

Eleven months since the fall of President Assad’s regime, religious freedom in Syria faces ongoing nationwide threats as Damascus continues its political transition under former leaders of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a longstanding religious freedom violator and U.S.-designated Entity of Particular Concern (EPC). This hearing will identify continued challenges to U.S. policy and religious freedom in Syria. 

In its 2025 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State designate Syria for the U.S. Department of State’s Special Watch List (SWL) for the then Syrian government’s systematic and ongoing violations of religious freedom in 2024, as defined by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA). USCIRF’s July 2025 Policy Update, Religious Freedom & U.S. Policy in Post-Assad Syria, documented escalating religious freedom abuses in the country under the new transitional authorities.

Witnesses provided updates on specific threats to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) including sectarian massacres of Alawi Muslims and Druze, attacks on Christians and other religious minority communities, as well as address unfolding abuses such as the reported escalation of kidnappings and forced disappearances. They also examined how the United States can leverage bilateral, regional, and international interests in its support of FoRB for all Syrians.

Opening Remarks

• Meir Soloveichik, Commissioner, USCIRF
• Stephen Schneck, Commissioner, USCIRF
  Written Remarks

Panel

• Aaron Zelin, Gloria and Ken Levy Fellow, Washington Institute for Near East Policy
  Written Testimony
• Rita Koefoed Khairbek, Founder, Syrian Women for Development in Norway
  Written Testimony
• Nuri Kino, Founder, A Demand for Action (ADFA)
  Written Testimony
• Jamil Ammar, Syrian Druze Scholar and Advocate
  Written Testimony

Submitted for the Record

• Alawite Association of the United States (AAUS)
  Written Statement
  Report on Sectarian Violence in Syria After the Fall of the Assad Regime
• Anonymous Protestant Christian
  Written Statement
• Dastan Jasim, Associate Fellow at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies, Visiting Fellow at the American University of Iraq
  Written Statement 
• Jamil Ammar, Hearing Witness, Syrian Druze Scholar and Advocate
  Policy Brief on a Data-driven Case Study of HTS and Risk Implications for Religious Minorities in Syria
  Supplemental Video

This hearing was open to Members of Congress, congressional staff, the public, and the media. For any additional questions or to schedule an interview, please email [email protected].