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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a debate on the urgent action required to boost EU competitiveness, deepen the single market, and reduce the cost of living, at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France, on February 11, 2026. Photo: AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The European Parliament warned on Thursday that violence in northeastern Syria “may amount to war crimes,” pressing for stronger protections for Syrian civilians and increased European humanitarian aid.
The European Parliament voted overwhelmingly in support of a resolution calling for stability in northeastern Syria, protections for Syrian minorities - including Kurdish rights guarantees - and increasing international efforts to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State (ISIS.)
Over 360 members approved the resolution, with 71 voting against and 81 abstaining.
The resolution reinforced conditions for future European Union aid for Syria following last month’s EU pledge providing the new Syrian government with 620 million euros ($722 million) in post-war recovery funding.
The resolution called for boosting humanitarian aid but stated that other funding “must remain strictly conditional on tangible and verifiable progress on civilian protection, respect for ceasefire arrangements, human rights and the protection of all components of Syrian society
The vote came on the heels of European parliamentary sessions this week where lawmakers expressed alarm over a humanitarian crisis and allegations of serious human rights abuses following weeks of attacks by Syrian forces on Kurdish-held areas.
The European parliament warned in a statement on the resolution that “extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, forced displacement and attacks on civilian infrastructure may amount to serious violations of international humanitarian law and, in some cases, to war crimes.”
Citing “credible reports from the United Nations and non-governmental organizations of recent abuses particularly against the Kurdish population” parliament reported that imprecise “dumb bombs” that endanger civilians were being used and condemned and the desecration of Kurdish corpses, which appeared in gruesome footage online.
Strong support for ceasefire
The parliament strongly condemned violence against civilians and expressed “unwavering support for a ceasefire” that ended weeks of fighting between Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian military. While the January 30 ceasefire has held, the Kurdish-majority city of Kobane remains under siege amid a wider humanitarian crisis in the northeast that has displaced 170,000 people.
Members of parliament also warned “regional actors, including Turkey, to refrain from undermining the ceasefire by taking military action or backing armed groups,” the statement said. Turkey, a key ally of Syria’s new government, has backed armed groups in the north.
The resolution demanded Europe increase humanitarian aid and repatriate former ISIS fighters and their families - particularly children who have languished in camps for years - while boosting security efforts to prevent an ISIS resurgence. Thousands of ISIS suspects from 60 countries were transferred to Iraq after prisoners and their families fled SDF-controlled detention centers during the fighting, sparking fears of security threats.
The European Parliament also called for Syria’s Sunni Arab-led authorities to build an inclusive government. The attacks on Kurdish-majority areas and 2025 attacks on Druze and Alawite communities have raised concerns about minority rights and security.
Along with the ceasefire agreement, the new Syrian government issued a decree guaranteeing political, cultural, citizenship and land rights for Kurds, who faced decades of discrimination including being classified as “stateless” under Bashar al-Assad’s former regime.
“The resolution stresses that full recognition, equal rights and political participation of the Kurdish community are indispensable for a stable and inclusive Syria,” the statement said. “It urges the transitional government to enshrine these guarantees in the constitution, while upholding Syria’s territorial integrity.”
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