CSW is saddened by news of the death of the Syrian Druze community leader Dr Hamza Shaheen, who was abducted from his family home in Deir Ali near Damascus on 27 October.

CSW sources report Dr Shaheen was kidnapped by masked armed men who stormed his house and shouted abuse before taking him with them. The kidnappers subsequently called Dr Shaheen’s family several times and demanded a significant ransom whilst repeatedly refusing to provide evidence that he was still alive.

Security forces arrested the kidnappers on 4 November, upon which they confessed that Dr Shaheen had died due to severe mistreatment he had suffered whilst in captivity. According to CSW sources, his kidnappers belong to an extremist group.

Dr Shaheen’s body was recovered, and his funeral was held in his family village on 6 November.

CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: ‘CSW extends sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of Dr Shaheen. While we appreciate the security forces’ efforts to apprehend the perpetrators swiftly, we continue to call on the Syrian government to do far more to combat sectarianism, sectarian incitement and violence. We also urge the Syrian authorities to take allegations of complicity within the security apparatus extremely seriously, and to address them accordingly.’