Shia Rights Watch has released its January 2025 report, documenting the most significant human rights violations committed against Shia individuals and communities worldwide.
This report provides a detailed account of terrorist attacks, armed assaults, bombings, and systematic oppression carried out against Shia Muslims in various countries.
SRW emphasizes that its teams could only verify some of the reported violations through collaboration with human rights activists and civil society organizations. However, numerous field indicators suggest the occurrence of many other violations that could not be confirmed due to lack of witnesses or sufficient evidence.
Here is SRW’s monthly human rights report on violations committed against Shia Muslims from January 1, 2025, to February 1, 2025.
The report highlights numerous terrorist attacks carried out by extremist groups targeting Shia individuals, as well as state-sponsored oppression and abuse against Shia communities in several countries.
Note: Shia Rights Watch has compiled this report based on independent sources, human rights activists, and civil society organizations. The organization refrains from reporting cases without strong evidence, despite its firm belief in the occurrence of such violations. Shia Rights Watch reiterates its non-political and non-profit stance, advocating solely for justice and equality for all.
Pakistan
01/01/2025 – Siege results in the deaths of over 200 people
Health data from a hospital in Upper Kurram confirms that a blockade imposed by extremist groups has led to severe shortages of food and medicine, causing over 200 deaths, including women and children.
01/04/2025 – Protester killed in Malir
Pakistani security forces shot and killed Ali Raza Rizvi, a protester demanding the lifting of the siege on Parachinar. More than 20 others were injured by police gunfire.
01/16/2025 – Extremist groups attack humanitarian aid convoy
Terrorist groups ambushed a convoy carrying food and medical aid to Kurram, setting all trucks on fire and leaving civilians stranded without assistance.
01/17/2025 – Shia civilian kidnapped and executed
Extremists abducted and executed a Shia citizen, Saqib Hasnain, while he was returning home to Kurram.
01/18/2025 – Extremists massacre eight Shia youth and desecrate their bodies
Extremist groups kidnapped, tortured, and executed eight Shia truck drivers attempting to deliver aid to Kurram. Their bodies were mutilated and left by the roadside.
01/18/2025 – Extremists attack Balashkhel village
An armed attack on Balashkhel village in Kurram resulted in the killing of a young Shia man named Waseem Kamal.
01/23/2025 – Bombing targets Shia mosque in Kulachi
A suicide bombing struck the entrance of Imam Bargah Mosque in Kulachi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, causing extensive damage to nearby homes and businesses.
01/24/2025 – Human rights activist arrested
Pakistani authorities arrested Muzammil Hussain Fasih, a civil rights activist, for criticizing the government’s inactionin lifting the siege on Kurram.
01/24/2025 – Attack on a Shia religious monument in Lahore
Extremists attacked a Shia religious site in Lahore’s Shadbagh district, resulting in one death and another person seriously injured.
01/31/2025 – Women and children injured in Kurram attack
A new round of extremist attacks on the besieged town left six civilians, including women, seriously injured.
Bahrain
January 3, 11, 17, 31 – Friday prayers banned in Diraz
Bahraini authorities continued their four-month-long ban on the largest Shia Friday prayer congregation at Imam Al-Sadiq Mosque in Diraz. The area was heavily militarized with armed forces blocking access to the mosque.
01/8/2025 – Employment discrimination against Shia citizens
A parliamentary investigation revealed that over 20,000 Bahrainis remain unemployed, while 600,000 foreign workers are employed in the country.
01/17/2025 – Arbitrary arrests
Authorities arrested Abdullah Yusuf Al-Mo’athin in Samaheej and Hassan Jaafar Masoud in Aker without cause.
Lebanon
01/22/2025 – Shia cleric assassinated
Sheikh Mohammed Hammadi was murdered by unknown gunmen in West Bekaa.
01/26/2025 – Conflict in lebanon kill 22 civilians, injure 124
Attack on southern Lebanon resulted in the killing of 22 civilians and injuries to 124 others, many of whom were attempting to return to their homes.
Syria
01/01/2025 – Mass arrests and killings in Homs and Latakia
A large-scale ethnic cleansing campaign targeted Shia villages in Homs and Latakia, involving:
- Widespread arbitrary arrests
- Extrajudicial executions
- Looting and destruction of homes
- Forced displacement of Shia families
01/01/2025 – Cleric abducted in Hama
An unknown group abducted Sheikh Ghadir Mousa Al-Hamdan, a caretaker of Zain Al-Abideen Shrine in Hama.
01/01/2025 – Six shrine caretakers executed in Sayyidah Zainab
Six caretakers of Sayyidah Zainab Shrine were abducted and summarily executed. The victims were:
- Mousa Ahmed Al-Diyab
- Hassan Faisal Al-Diyab
- Hussein Zakaria Al-Haj Hassan
- Yahya Zakaria Al-Haj Hassan
- Jaafar Younis Hassan
- Hassan Mohammed Al-Hajji Al-Mousawi
01/01/2025 – Seven Shia youths abducted in Homs
Extremist militants kidnapped seven Shia youths at a checkpoint in Homs. Five of them were later found executed, their bodies dumped on the banks of the Orontes River.
01/01/2025 – Young man executed for being Alawite
A young Alawite man from Al-Sheeha village, Hama was abducted and executed for his sectarian affiliation. His body was dumped by the roadside.
01/02/2025 – Dozens of Alawite soldiers executed in Deir ez-Zor
Over dozens of Alawite soldiers were found executed in the deserts of Deir ez-Zor and Homs.
01/04/2025 – Large-scale attacks on Alawites in Wadi Al-Dhahab, Homs
Several Alawite youths in Wadi Al-Dhahab, Homs, were violently assaulted due to their sectarian identity.
01/04/2025 – Family slaughtered in Al-Zahraa, Homs
A family of Alawites was brutally murdered in their home in Al-Zahraa, Homs. All members were stabbed to death with knives.
01/04/2025 – 500 Alawites arrested in eastern Homs
A military raid targeted Alawite villages in eastern Homs, leading to the arrest of over 500 young men.
01/05/2025 – Forced displacement in Mukharram Al-Fouqani, Homs
A military force expelled all Shia residents from Mukharram Al-Fouqani, leading to an unknown number of displaced families.
01/06/2025 – Execution of two young Shia men in Homs
Two young Alawite men were abducted and executed by a terrorist group.
01/06/2025 – Desecration of Mohsen ibn Hussein Shrine in Aleppo
Extremists vandalized and desecrated the shrine of Mohsen ibn Hussein in Aleppo.
01/08/2025 – Destruction of religious symbols in Nubl and Al-Zahraa
Unknown militants burned Hussaini flags and banners in the Shia towns of Nubl and Al-Zahraa, while shouting sectarian slurs at residents.
01/08/2025 – Mass execution of six Shia men in Homs
The bodies of six Shia men were found in an orchard in Homs, bearing signs of extreme torture and execution.
01/08/2025 – Mass graves discovered in Homs
Locals discovered a mass grave containing the bodies of four Shia siblings in Tasnayn village, Homs.
01/08/2025 – Elderly Alawite couple murdered in Hama
Sheikh Ali Abdul Latif Deeb and his wife Nariman Hadeed, an elderly Alawite couple, were kidnapped and executed in Duniba village, Hama.
01/09/2025 – Ethnic cleansing in Al-Safira, Aleppo
Residents of Al-Safira town in Aleppo were threatened with death if they did not leave their homes, leading to mass displacement.
01/09/2025 – 700 Shia employees dismissed from jobs in Tartous
A government-affiliated authority forcibly dismissed over 700 Shia employees from their jobs in Tartous for sectarian reasons.
01/10/2025 – 40 Shia civilians executed in Al-Salihiya, Homs
Militants executed 40 Shia men in Al-Salihiya village, Homs for their sectarian identity.
01/12/2025 – Massacre of Shia youth in Baniyas
Armed extremists kidnapped and executed multiple Alawite men in Baniyas.
01/14/2025 – Religious leader arrested for condemning massacres
A militant group arrested Sheikh Saleh Mansour, a representative of the Alawite community, for denouncing the ongoing massacres.
01/15/2025 – 200 Alawites disappear in Homs raids
A mass arrest operation in Homs led to the disappearance of over 200 Alawite civilians, including women and children.
01/15/2025 – Alawite demining expert assassinated
Lieutenant Ali Abdul-Razzaq Wannous, a demining expert, was assassinated after being deceived into clearing explosives in Idlib.
01/17/2025 – Hundreds of Alawites arrested in Homs countryside
Armed groups arrested hundreds of Alawite civilians in Jabbourin and Tasneen, torching homes and looting valuables.
01/21/2025 – Massacre in Al-Ghour village
At least 10 young Shia men were publicly executed, while dozens more were abducted and taken to an unknown location.
01/22/2025 – Mass execution of Shia villagers in western Homs
Extremist groups killed dozens of villagers in Al-Ghouzeila and Khirbet after military forces withdrew.
01/28/2025 – 204 Shia civilians killed in Homs in 2025
A human rights report confirmed that 204 Shia civilians, including five women and one child, were killed in Homssince the beginning of 2025.
Saudi Arabia
01/17/2025 – Shia prisoner executed
Abdullah Ahmed Al-Salim, a Shia prisoner from Qatif, was executed by Saudi authorities.
01/18/2025 – Shia religious singer arrested
Mohammed Bu Jbara, a Shia religious reciter from Al-Ahsa, was arrested for performing a religious poem.
01/28/2025 – Another Shia detainee executed
Ali Abdul Jalil Mansour Al-Suleiman, a Qatif resident, was executed, marking the second execution of a Shia prisoner in 2025.