SAR’s Academic Freedom Monitoring Project investigates and reports attacks on higher education with the aim of raising awareness, generating advocacy, and increasing protection for scholars, students, and academic communities. Starting July 1, 2026, SAR no longer publishes reports for the incidents that it records. SAR continues to monitor and record incidents that will be used in the annual Free to Think report. This page provides a record of incidents reported up to that date. Learn more about the Academic Freedom Monitoring Project.

Date of Incident: July 17, 2025

Attack Types: Killings, Violence, Disappearances

Institution(s):University of Aleppo

Region & Country:Western Asia | Syria

New or Ongoing:New Incident

On July 17, 2025, armed individuals, including students, attacked Druze students in a student dormitory at the University of Aleppo.

The attack came amid escalating tensions between Bedouin and Druze communities in Sweida governorate, located in southern Syria, and a wave of armed attacks on Druze communities living there. According to local media reports, at the University of Aleppo, students attacked their peers from Sweida with sticks and stones, causing minor injuries.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about violent attacks by students against other students. Scholars at Risk calls on all parties to exercise restraint and to avoid violence. State authorities have the right and obligation to maintain order, which they must with due regard for the rights of protesters and others, including the rights to free expression, academic freedom, peaceful assembly, and due process.

Sources:
https://www.almodon.com/media/2025/07/18/اعتداءات-على-طلاب-دروز-في-دمشق-وحلب-الجامعات-لا-تتسع-لهويتين
https://x.com/aljumhuriya_eng/status/1946161526970192010
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMQOKOSN236/