A study conducted by the Guardians of Equality movement (GEM) concluded that Syria is one of the most repressive countries for women and LGBTQIA+ individuals. The Syrian government and opposition forces have played roles in the oppression of LGBTQIA+ people in Syria, using homosexuality as a pretext for arrest and imprisonment.
The research titled “We Are Here, We Are Syrian, We Are Queer, Get Used to It” indicates that the Syrian authorities’ campaign of arrests against LGBTQIA+ individuals has intensified since the start of the Syrian revolution in 2011. Furthermore, there are documented instances of rape and physical and sexual abuse within detention centers.
The study quoted a Syrian LGBTQIA+ activist and lawyer as saying, “The law in Syria is manipulable, and penal laws may be used incidentally to criminalize same-sex relationships.” They also added that LGBTQIA+ individuals are often denied access to legal representation when arrested.
The research also addresses the situation in northwestern Syria, where “conditions are significantly exacerbated due to the presence of two governing bodies.” In areas controlled by the Interim Syrian Government, which is supported by Turkey and the opposition forces allied with it, the Unified Arab Penal Code of 1965 is applied. According to the researchers, the code is much worse than the Syrian Penal Code because it considers any non-normative identity a crime, with potential penalties for homosexuality reaching the death penalty.
In the areas of the Salvation Government in Idlib, which is supported by an alliance of Islamic factions, the largest of which is Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham HTS, the law of banditry is being adopted, which is a law derived from Islamic law, where the punishment for homosexuality may also reach the death penalty.
As per the report, there has been a rise in the number of LGBTQIA+ individuals who have been targeted in Syria by all parties to the conflict, who are now facing double threats of harm.
