Syrian Petroleum Company excludes employees; division deepened

Several employees of the Syrian Petroleum Company, specifically those working within the Central Region Fields Directorate at the Al-Bassa field in Homs, informed ANHA agency of blatant and direct sectarian discrimination practices led by a young official known as Sheikh "Abu Hafsa," estimated to be around 25 years old.

According to reports, this official employs an unfair approach to evaluating employee performance within the directorate, basing it on their sectarian background rather than their professional performance.

Testimonies from within the field indicate that the evaluation process begins with the official asking the employee about their sect. If an employee mentions their Alawite affiliation, they are subjected to extremely degrading treatment and are given a zero rating in advance and deliberately, regardless of their work or competence.

Conversely, this same official shows a clear tendency to give Sunni employees exceptionally high ratings, often ranging from 90 to 100, in a blatant display of sectarian bias.

These politicized evaluations are subsequently sent to relevant departments within the ministry and used as an official tool to discriminate against employees based on sect rather than performance. Because performance evaluations form the basis for important administrative decisions, employees with low ratings, who in this case are primarily Alawites, are subject to exclusion or arbitrary dismissal despite performing their work professionally and skillfully.

Given this harsh reality, many affected employees have expressed extreme fear of speaking out or revealing their identities. Fearing direct reprisals or the complete loss of their jobs, these individuals exacerbate the crisis and leave victims without any means to protect their rights.

Syrians view these unfortunate incidents as part of a broader pattern of human rights violations suffered by Alawite citizens in the region. These violations include acts of violence such as murder, kidnapping, and systematic starvation. Furthermore, many are being arbitrarily dismissed from their jobs without any clear justification and without any oversight or legal accountability from the responsible authorities.

Sociologists confirm that these events reflect a tragic reality that threatens social stability and deepens the existing divide between different groups within the country.

Under these circumstances, the absence of legal accountability and the obstruction of justice stand out as key factors contributing to the escalation of these violations. This pushes society toward further tension and division, jeopardizes the fundamental rights of vulnerable groups, and could potentially lead to the complete collapse of the social fabric.

ANHA