Latest news with #Alawites
Dubai Eye
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Dubai Eye
Syrian committee reports 1,426 killed in March violence
A Syrian government fact-finding committee said on Tuesday that 1,426 people had died in March in attacks on security forces and subsequent mass killings of Alawites, but concluded that commanders had not given orders for the revenge attacks. The incidents in the coastal region were the worst violence to hit Syria since the downfall of President Bashar al-Assad last year. The fact-finding committee's work is seen as an important test of the new leadership who are facing new unrest this month involving other minority groups in the southwest. The committee concluded that Syrian commanders did not give orders to commit violations and, in fact, gave orders to halt them. It came up with a list of 298 suspects involved in violations against Alawites and 265 involved in the initial attack on security forces, committee head Jumaa Al-Anzi said. The names are not being released publicly for now and have been referred to courts for further investigations, spokesperson Yasser Farhan said. He added that 31 people who committed violations against civilians had been arrested, as well as six people he referred to as "remnants" of the former regime. The Supreme Alawite Council condemned the committee's findings, describing it in a statement on Tuesday as an "impudent play." It said it rejects the findings of the committee, blaming the attacks in March on the "de facto authority" represented by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and his government. They called for an international and independent investigation under the direct supervision of the United Nations. A Reuters investigation last month identified 1,479 Syrian Alawites killed and dozens who were missing from 40 distinct sites of revenge killings and found a chain of command leading from the attackers directly to men who serve alongside Syria's new leaders in Damascus. Syria's new leadership, led by Sunni Muslim groups against Assad, a member of the Alawite minority sect, has long sought to reassure minorities they will be safe. Safety of minorities has become a major issue again this month with hundreds of people killed in clashes between government security forces, Bedouin fighters and fighters from the Druze sect in the southern province of Sweida. The authorities have set up a new fact-finding committee in response. The violence began on March 6 with attacks on Syrian security forces stationed in the region. It put hospitals and other state institutions out of operation and caused large areas to fall out of government control, Farhan said. The committee found that 238 members of the security forces were killed in these attacks, perpetrated by forces aligned with the former Assad government, Farhan said. In response, around 200,000 armed men mobilised from across Syria, pouring into the coastal region, he said. This led to violations including killings, theft and sectarian incitement that the committee found were "widespread but not organised," Farhan said. He said the committee members had full cooperation from government forces as they carried out months of work and it was now up to Sharaa whether to release their report in full. Diana Semaan, Syria researcher at Amnesty International, called for the full findings to be released and for perpetrators to face prosecution. "In terms of the fact-finding committee, acknowledging that atrocities against Alawite civilians happened is an important step towards justice," she told Reuters. "[But] without the proper prosecution of perpetrators, then we have impunity. It won't be the justice and accountability that the victims deserve."
ARN News Center
8 hours ago
- Politics
- ARN News Center
Syrian committee reports 1,426 killed in March violence
A Syrian government fact-finding committee said on Tuesday that 1,426 people had died in March in attacks on security forces and subsequent mass killings of Alawites, but concluded that commanders had not given orders for the revenge attacks. The incidents in the coastal region were the worst violence to hit Syria since the downfall of President Bashar al-Assad last year. The fact-finding committee's work is seen as an important test of the new leadership who are facing new unrest this month involving other minority groups in the southwest. The committee concluded that Syrian commanders did not give orders to commit violations and, in fact, gave orders to halt them. It came up with a list of 298 suspects involved in violations against Alawites and 265 involved in the initial attack on security forces, committee head Jumaa Al-Anzi said. The names are not being released publicly for now and have been referred to courts for further investigations, spokesperson Yasser Farhan said. He added that 31 people who committed violations against civilians had been arrested, as well as six people he referred to as "remnants" of the former regime. The Supreme Alawite Council condemned the committee's findings, describing it in a statement on Tuesday as an "impudent play." It said it rejects the findings of the committee, blaming the attacks in March on the "de facto authority" represented by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and his government. They called for an international and independent investigation under the direct supervision of the United Nations. A Reuters investigation last month identified 1,479 Syrian Alawites killed and dozens who were missing from 40 distinct sites of revenge killings and found a chain of command leading from the attackers directly to men who serve alongside Syria's new leaders in Damascus. Syria's new leadership, led by Sunni Muslim groups against Assad, a member of the Alawite minority sect, has long sought to reassure minorities they will be safe. Safety of minorities has become a major issue again this month with hundreds of people killed in clashes between government security forces, Bedouin fighters and fighters from the Druze sect in the southern province of Sweida. The authorities have set up a new fact-finding committee in response. The violence began on March 6 with attacks on Syrian security forces stationed in the region. It put hospitals and other state institutions out of operation and caused large areas to fall out of government control, Farhan said. The committee found that 238 members of the security forces were killed in these attacks, perpetrated by forces aligned with the former Assad government, Farhan said. In response, around 200,000 armed men mobilised from across Syria, pouring into the coastal region, he said. This led to violations including killings, theft and sectarian incitement that the committee found were "widespread but not organised," Farhan said. He said the committee members had full cooperation from government forces as they carried out months of work and it was now up to Sharaa whether to release their report in full. Diana Semaan, Syria researcher at Amnesty International, called for the full findings to be released and for perpetrators to face prosecution. "In terms of the fact-finding committee, acknowledging that atrocities against Alawite civilians happened is an important step towards justice," she told Reuters. "[But] without the proper prosecution of perpetrators, then we have impunity. It won't be the justice and accountability that the victims deserve."
North Wales Chronicle
11 hours ago
- Politics
- North Wales Chronicle
1,400 killed in sectarian violence in coastal Syria in March, committee says
The violence was the first major incident to emerge after the ousting of long-time President Bashar Assad in December. It said there was no evidence that Syria's new military leaders ordered attacks on the Alawite community there, to which Mr Assad belonged. Nearly 300 people suspected of committing crimes including murder, robbery, torture and looting and burning of homes and businesses were identified during the four-month investigation and referred for prosecution, and 37 people have been arrested, officials told journalists. They did not say how many suspects were members of security forces. The committee's report came as Syria reels from a new round of sectarian violence in the south, which again has threatened to upend the country's fragile recovery from nearly 14 years of civil war. The violence on the coast began on March 6 when armed groups loyal to Mr Assad attacked security forces of the new government, killing 238 of them, the committee said. In response, security forces descended on the coast from other areas of the country, joined by thousands of armed civilians. In total, some 200,000 armed men mobilised, the committee said. As they entered neighbourhoods and villages, some – including members of military factions – committed 'widespread, serious violations against civilians', committee spokesperson Yasser al-Farhan said. In some cases, armed men asked civilians whether they belonged to the Alawite sect and 'committed violations based on this', the spokesperson said. The committee, however, found that the 'sectarian motives were mostly based on revenge, not ideology', he said. Judge Jumaa al-Anzi, the committee's chairman, said that 'we have no evidence that the (military) leaders gave orders to commit violations'. He also said investigators had not received reports of girls or women being kidnapped. Some rights groups, including a United Nations commission, have documented cases of Alawite women being kidnapped in the months since the violence. There have been ongoing, although scattered, reports of Alawites being killed, robbed and extorted since the violence. Tens of thousands of members of the minority sect have fled to neighbouring Lebanon. There have been echoes of the coastal violence in the new clashes in the southern province of Sweida over the past two weeks. Those clashes broke out between Sunni Muslim Bedouin clans and armed groups of the Druze religious minority, and government security forces who intervened to restore order ended up siding with the Bedouins. Members of the security forces allegedly killed Druze civilians and looted and burned homes. Druze armed groups launched revenge attacks on Bedouin communities. Hundreds have been killed, and the UN says more than 128,500 people have been displaced. The violence has largely stopped as a ceasefire takes told. The committee chairman said the violence in Sweida is 'painful for all Syrians' but 'beyond the jurisdiction' of his committee. 'Time will reveal what happened and who is responsible for it,' he said.
Korea Herald
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Syrian committee reports 1,426 killed in March violence, says commanders did not order it
A Syrian government fact-finding committee said on Tuesday that 1,426 people had died in March in attacks on security forces and subsequent mass killings of Alawites, but concluded that commanders had not given orders for the revenge attacks. The incidents in the coastal region were the worst violence to hit Syria since the downfall of President Bashar Assad last year. The fact-finding committee's work is seen as an important test of the new leadership, made up mainly of former anti-Assad rebel fighters, who are facing new unrest this month involving other minority groups in the southwest. The committee concluded that Syrian commanders did not give orders to commit violations and, in fact, gave orders to halt them. It came up with a list of 298 suspects involved in violations against Alawites and 265 involved in the initial attack on security forces, committee head Jumaa Al-Anzi said. The names are not being released publicly for now and have been referred to courts for further investigations, spokesperson Yasser Farhan said. He added that 31 people who committed violations against civilians had been arrested, as well as six people he referred to as "remnants" of the former regime. The Supreme Alawite Council condemned the committee's findings, describing it in a statement on Tuesday as an "impudent play." It said it rejects the findings of the committee, blaming the deadly attacks in March on the "de facto authority" represented by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and his government. They called for an international and independent investigation under the direct supervision of the United Nations. A Reuters investigation last month identified 1,479 Syrian Alawites killed and dozens who were missing from 40 distinct sites of revenge killings, and found a chain of command leading from the attackers directly to men who serve alongside Syria's new leaders in Damascus. Syria's new leadership, which has roots in the insurgency led by Sunni Muslim Islamist groups against Assad, a member of the Alawite minority sect, has long sought to reassure minorities they will be safe. Safety of minorities has become a major issue again this month with hundreds of people killed in clashes between government security forces, Sunni Bedouin fighters, and militants from the Druze sect in the southern province of Sweida. The authorities have set up a new fact-finding committee in response. The violence began on March 6 with attacks on Syrian security forces stationed in the region. It put hospitals and other state institutions out of operation and caused large areas to fall out of government control, Farhan said. The committee found that 238 members of the security forces were killed in these attacks, perpetrated by forces aligned with the former Assad government, Farhan said. In response, around 200,000 armed men mobilized from across Syria, pouring into the coastal region, he said. This led to violations including killings, theft, and sectarian incitement that the committee found were "widespread but not organized," Farhan said. He said the committee members had full cooperation from government forces as they carried out months of work, and it was now up to Sharaa whether to release their report in full. Diana Semaan, Syria researcher at Amnesty International, called for the full findings to be released and for perpetrators to face prosecution. "In terms of the fact-finding committee, acknowledging that atrocities against Alawite civilians happened is an important step towards justice," she told Reuters. " without the proper prosecution of perpetrators, then we have impunity. It won't be the justice and accountability that the victims deserve."
Rhyl Journal
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Rhyl Journal
1,400 killed in sectarian violence in coastal Syria in March, committee says
The violence was the first major incident to emerge after the ousting of long-time President Bashar Assad in December. It said there was no evidence that Syria's new military leaders ordered attacks on the Alawite community there, to which Mr Assad belonged. Nearly 300 people suspected of committing crimes including murder, robbery, torture and looting and burning of homes and businesses were identified during the four-month investigation and referred for prosecution, and 37 people have been arrested, officials told journalists. They did not say how many suspects were members of security forces. The committee's report came as Syria reels from a new round of sectarian violence in the south, which again has threatened to upend the country's fragile recovery from nearly 14 years of civil war. The violence on the coast began on March 6 when armed groups loyal to Mr Assad attacked security forces of the new government, killing 238 of them, the committee said. In response, security forces descended on the coast from other areas of the country, joined by thousands of armed civilians. In total, some 200,000 armed men mobilised, the committee said. As they entered neighbourhoods and villages, some – including members of military factions – committed 'widespread, serious violations against civilians', committee spokesperson Yasser al-Farhan said. In some cases, armed men asked civilians whether they belonged to the Alawite sect and 'committed violations based on this', the spokesperson said. The committee, however, found that the 'sectarian motives were mostly based on revenge, not ideology', he said. Judge Jumaa al-Anzi, the committee's chairman, said that 'we have no evidence that the (military) leaders gave orders to commit violations'. He also said investigators had not received reports of girls or women being kidnapped. Some rights groups, including a United Nations commission, have documented cases of Alawite women being kidnapped in the months since the violence. There have been ongoing, although scattered, reports of Alawites being killed, robbed and extorted since the violence. Tens of thousands of members of the minority sect have fled to neighbouring Lebanon. There have been echoes of the coastal violence in the new clashes in the southern province of Sweida over the past two weeks. Those clashes broke out between Sunni Muslim Bedouin clans and armed groups of the Druze religious minority, and government security forces who intervened to restore order ended up siding with the Bedouins. Members of the security forces allegedly killed Druze civilians and looted and burned homes. Druze armed groups launched revenge attacks on Bedouin communities. Hundreds have been killed, and the UN says more than 128,500 people have been displaced. The violence has largely stopped as a ceasefire takes told. The committee chairman said the violence in Sweida is 'painful for all Syrians' but 'beyond the jurisdiction' of his committee. 'Time will reveal what happened and who is responsible for it,' he said.
