An Alevi leader was arrested in Turkey on Thursday after filing a legal complaint against Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa over alleged crimes against Syria’s Alawite community, the Artı Gerçek news website reported.
Alevis in Turkey and Alawites in Syria are distinct religious groups despite both being Shi’a minorities. Alevis, mostly ethnic Turks and Kurds, follow a spiritual tradition influenced by Sufism and Anatolian folk beliefs. Alawites, primarily Arabs, practice a form of Twelver Shi’ism with esoteric elements and held political power in Syria under Bashar al-Assad.
Nevertheless, apart from their similar-sounding names, Alevis and Alawites share core beliefs, such as the veneration of Imam Ali and esoteric interpretations of Islam, yet they developed separately with distinct rituals, cultural influences and political roles.
Aslan Uzun, the cleric of a local Alevi house of worship, was detained at the Küçükçekmece Courthouse in İstanbul on Wednesday while submitting the complaint accusing al-Sharaa of genocide, torture and crimes against humanity against Alawites in Syria. Turkish authorities charged him with “inciting hatred and enmity,” and a court ordered his arrest on Thursday.
Turkey never officially backed Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and continues to designate it as a terrorist organization. However, Ankara was sympathetic to HTS’s fight against Assad and tacitly supported its military efforts to oust the Syrian leader.
When HTS launched its final offensive with other rebel groups in late 2024, Turkey did not intervene and instead ensured a steady flow of supplies and humanitarian aid to the Idlib enclave, even as it faced siege by pro-Assad forces.
Turkish intelligence played a key role in Syria’s transition, with former intelligence chief and current Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, along with spy chief İbrahim Kalın, overseeing negotiations and later hosting al-Sharaa as Syria’s new president in Ankara.
A nationwide effort by the Hacı Bektaş Veli Anatolian Cultural Foundation, an Alevi association in Turkey, to file similar complaints was postponed due to Uzun’s detention. The organization’s president, Ercan Geçmez, condemned the arrest, saying, “The perpetrator should be prosecuted, but instead, our friend is being tried.”
Sharaa, the former leader of HTS, took power in Syria after the fall of Assad in December 2024. His rule has been marked by reports of sectarian violence, including mass killings of Alawite civilians in Latakia and Tartus. Rights groups and international bodies have called for investigations into alleged atrocities.
The arrest of Uzun sparked outrage among Alevi organizations in Turkey. Leaders called for mass legal action against al-Sharaa, urging thousands to submit similar complaints. Lawmaker Celal Fırat from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) attended Uzun’s hearing and vowed to continue denouncing al-Sharaa’s role in the killings.
The incident highlights ongoing tensions in post-Assad Syria, where sectarian divisions and power struggles continue to destabilize the country. The international community has urged the interim government to ensure justice and minority protections, but reports of targeted violence persist.
