Shia Rights Watch issues its monthly report highlighting the most prominent human rights violations committed against Shia Muslims from June 1 to July 1, 2025.
This report details various terrorist operations carried out by extremist groups against Shia Muslims, as well as instances of oppression and abuse by certain governments and regimes.
SRW relied on both its own sources and public sources, such as individuals and human rights groups active in the countries where violations occurred.
SRW notes that it refrained from mentioning some violations due to the absence of conclusive evidence, despite being certain of their occurrence in some countries, emphasizing that it does not seek political or profit goals in its work, but rather aims to achieve justice and equality aspired to by human societies.
Countries (Alphabetically):
Iran
06/30: Hundreds of civilians killed or injured in war: According to human rights sources, ongoing Israeli airstrikes resulted in over 935 civilian deaths, including women and children, and injured more than 4,870 civilians.
Afghanistan
06/11: Restrictions and arrests: Taliban authorities arrested dozens of Shia citizens in Daikundi during Eid al-Adha celebrations for observing the holiday on a day different from the one designated by the Taliban.
Pakistan
06/02: Raid on religious scholar’s home in Sargodha: The home of Mr. Ghulam Raza, director of Al-Fazl School, was stormed by extremists who vandalized the property and physically assaulted the residents.
06/22: Cleric arrested in Islamabad: Authorities arrested Sheikh Hussain Naqvi without providing any reasons.
Bahrain
06/06: Bahraini Interior Ministry forces continued to impose a strict security siege on the town of Diraz for the 35th consecutive week, preventing central Friday prayers. Armed forces and military vehicles were heavily deployed around Imam Al-Sadiq Mosque and all entrances to the area to stop Shia worshippers from gathering.
06/13: The security blockade in Diraz persisted for the 36th consecutive week, again preventing the central Friday prayers.
06/20: For the 37th week in a row, security forces maintained their siege on Diraz and prevented Shia citizens from performing Friday prayers.
06/24: Security forces affiliated with the Ministry of Interior assaulted multiple citizens and removed Ashura symbols in Diraz and surrounding areas. These assaults resulted in several civilian injuries, including a severe head injury to citizen Hassan Al-Anfour.
06/25: The Interior Minister of Bahrain threatened heads of Shia religious centers (Hussainiyas), accusing them of turning Ashura into a source of chaos and threatening to penalize those who violate the ministry’s restrictions. These threats coincided with systematic attacks on Ashura rituals by security forces in several areas.
06/27: The siege on Diraz continued for the 38th consecutive week, again preventing Friday congregational prayers at Imam Al-Sadiq Mosque.
Syria
06/01: The bodies of five detainees were found by residents of Ash al-Warwar in Damascus. The individuals had been arrested after returning from work by the so-called General Security Service, and their bodies were later discovered in a hospital.
06/04: Surge in kidnappings: Seventeen cases were documented, including a child and three women, across areas such as Damascus, Hama, Latakia, Homs, Tartus, Rural Damascus, and Aleppo.
06/05:
- A farmer was shot dead by an armed group while working in a field in rural Homs.
- Another farmer was shot and killed while working in the village of Batmoush in rural Jableh.
- An attack on the villages of Beit Ana and Dalia in rural Jableh by members of the so-called General Security resulted in the deaths of three young men, including one with disabilities. Homes and public facilities were burned and destroyed, and several men were arrested.
- In Batmoush, locals discovered the body of a kidnapped young man bearing signs of torture and gunshot wounds.
- The body of detainee Hafez Youssef Al-Tawil was returned to his family a week after his arrest by the General Security Service from his village, Barouha, in the Talkalakh region of Homs.
- Another detainee from Wadi Al-Dahab was also executed by the General Security Service, who later informed his family to collect his body days after his arrest.
06/08: In Barouha near Talkalakh, an armed group executed Haydar Al-Asaad in front of his parents. Two others from the village of Al-Diyabiya, Haidar Al-Hassan and Asaad Al-Assaf, were also shot and killed while riding their motorcycle.
06/09: Villages in rural Homs, including Al-Shniya, Al-Qabo, Al-Sharqaliya, and Al-Qanqiya, woke up to threatening leaflets warning the majority Alawite residents to flee or face extermination.
06/10: Engineer Hassan Ismail Yassin was gunned down after exiting a mosque in the Al-Waer neighborhood of Homs.
06/14: Armed groups desecrated the shrine of Lady Zainab (peace be upon her) in rural Damascus, shouting insults and threats at worshippers and firing shots in the air to intimidate them.
06/17: In Al-Mashrafa, rural Homs, three young men were killed and four others injured by gunfire from an armed group.
06/19: In the village of Al-Sanawbar in rural Latakia, nine young men were arrested and beaten by the so-called General Security forces during a violent raid.
06/20:
- In Baniyas, the young man Mohammad Shaaban from the village of Al-Mawrid was killed by an armed group on motorcycles.
- In Harasta, agricultural engineer Shadi Ahmed Ihsan was abducted while heading to work.
06/24: Shocking discovery of 31 mass graves across multiple Syrian cities, containing the remains of 2,744 victims. These findings were based on survivor testimonies and reports from both local and international human rights organizations.
