The de facto authorities continue to exert extensive pressure on the families of students from the Alawite community, coercing them to participate in the so-called “Liberation Day” on 8/12/2025.

These pressures include direct threats, summons, threats of school or employment dismissal, and financial penalties, all aimed at forcing families and their children to participate in an event charged with a sectarian character, violating their free will, and targeting their collective memory following previous massacres.

The coercion represents a systematic targeting of Alawite civilians, forcing them to celebrate alongside individuals responsible for the deaths of their relatives.
Threats have also extended to Syrians from other communities who oppose the de facto authorities, including moderate Sunni families, who face punishment if they refuse participation.

Eyewitness reports from multiple areas confirm that field agents of the de facto authorities are systematically enforcing coercion against students and their families.

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🔻 Documented Details and Witness Reports

1) Direct threats in Jableh countryside schools – Qalay‘ and surrounding areas
According to eyewitness accounts:
• Families were informed that absence from the 8/12 events would expose students to “legal responsibility.”
• If a child is absent, the father would be held accountable, sometimes under threat of imprisonment.
• Students were threatened with school expulsion, and their files were transferred to the “Ministry,” based on verbal orders from security agents without written authorization.

2) Imad al-Din School – Al-Muhajirin district
Witnesses reported:
• The school forced all students to bring money or prepare boards and banners for the celebration.
• No excuses were accepted, even for financially struggling families: “If you can afford bread, you manage; if not, deal with it.”

3) Homs countryside – Al-Qabu and western countryside
Local residents confirmed:
• Families were instructed to take children to mandatory marches.
• Any absence was recorded and reported to security authorities, with individuals held accountable.
• Some staff were threatened with employment dismissal if they or their children did not participate.

4) Testimony from Al-Mukhram – Hama countryside
Reports indicate:
• Families were forced to purchase flags and prepare boards displaying slogans such as “No to Division” and other phrases dictated by the de facto authorities.
• Government employees were threatened with dismissal for failing to comply with participation orders.

Throughout July 2025, a series of WhatsApp messages were identified during the systematic attacks targeting Druze civilians in Suwayda, carried out by members of the General Security Service and the Ministry of Defense under the de-facto authorities.

The messages originate from a public WhatsApp group belonging to medical students at Damascus University, including members of the Class of 2028. The content contains explicit incitement to violence, killing, sexual assault, and forced displacement against Druze students and civilians.

This series documents the nature of the incitement, its connection to on-the-ground violent actions, and its role as evidence of crimes against humanity and acts of genocide.