#SYRIA: Two people were killed and 11 were injured when unidentified gunmen opened fire on a coach carrying Druze civilians on their way from Suwayda City to Damascus on 28 October. The day before, Druze Doctor Hamza Shaheen, was abducted from his family home in Deir Ali near Damascus. CSW calls on the Syrian government to step up efforts to combat sectarian incitement and violence. Read more: https://www.csw.org.uk/2025/10/30/press/6652/article.htm (fb)

Approximately 70 Vietnamese Montagnard refugees were detained by Thai immigration authorities in Nonthaburi, a suburb north of Thailand’s capital Bangkok, on the morning of 29 October. The Montagnards, a predominantly Christian indigenous group from Vietnam’s Central Highlands, have historically faced systemic discrimination, religious repression, and land dispossession in their native Vietnam. Approximately 500 Montagnards are currently estimated to be residing in Thailand while awaiting refugee status determination by the UNHCR. CSW's CEO Scot Bower said: 'This mass arrest shows that they are still vulnerable and that the effects of a lack of freedom of religion or belief extend beyond the border of Vietnam.' Read more: https://www.csw.org.uk/2025/10/30/press/6651/article.htm (fb)