A German Christian human rights delegation met with senior Assyrian and Christian political leaders in Damascus on 7 October 2025, as part of a regional visit to Christian leaders, organizations, and active political parties amid a surge in violations targeting Christians.

The visit aimed to assess the situation of Christians in Syria following the fall of the authoritarian regime of Bashar al-Assad amid growing reports of murder, displacement, persecution, and intimidation by unknown assailants and the inaction of the current government led by Ahmad al-Sharaa.

The delegation met with Co-Chair of the Syriac Union Party Sanharib Barsom, Head of the Levantine National Council (LNC) Dr. Waddah al-Khouri, and Official of the Assyrian Democratic Organization (ADO) Gabriel Moshe.

The visiting German delegation included:

• Professor Thomas Schirrmacher -- President of the International Institute for Religious Freedom and the International Council of the International Society for Human Rights, and former Secretary-General of the World Evangelical Alliance
• Matthias Boehning -- Secretary-General of the International Society for Human Rights, member of the Board of Trustees of the German National Human Rights Foundation, and former Director of the Sustainability Center of the World Evangelical Alliance in Bonn
• Philipp Hildmann -- Senior Policy Strategist at the Hanns Seidel Foundation
• Katja Buck -- political and religious scholar and international journalist specializing in religious minorities and interfaith dialogue, with a focus on Middle Eastern Christians
• Raid Gharib -- politician, entrepreneur, former President of the Parish Council of the Syriac Orthodox Church in Germany, and Secretary-General of the Global Syriac Business Association

During the meeting, the hosting Assyrian / Christian delegation outlined the current situation of Christians and the Assyrian people in Syria. They described ongoing violations against Christians and presented their vision for the country's future -- emphasizing the need to recognize the rights of all peoples in the Syrian constitution, adopt a decentralized system of governance to safeguard representation and equality, and amend the constitutional declaration, which they view as reinforcing unilateral power.

The German delegation listened attentively to the concerns and demands raised by the delegation, affirming that they would convey these issues to European parliaments and governments. They expressed full solidarity with Syria's Christian communities and their legitimate call for genuine representation within the government, parliament, and constitution.

The delegation concluded by reaffirming its commitment to exert maximum effort to support and assist the Christians of Syria in their pursuit of justice, equality, and protection.