Latest news with #SyrianObservatoryforHumanRightswar
Al-Ahram Weekly
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Syria determined to 'prevent unlawful revenge' says fact-finding committee - Region
A fact-finding committee formed by Syria's new authorities to investigate a wave of deadly violence said on Tuesday the country was determined to "prevent unlawful revenge". A wave of violence broke out last Thursday, mainly in the Mediterranean heartland of the Alawite minority, the deadliest since longtime strongman Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December. Security forces and allied groups have killed at least 1,225 civilians since Thursday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor. The UN Human Rights Office said it had documented "summary executions" that appeared "to have been carried out on a sectarian basis". "In a number of extremely disturbing instances, entire families -- including women, children and individuals hors de combat -- were killed, with predominantly Alawite cities and villages targeted in particular," it said. At a press conference in Damascus, fact-finding committee spokesman Yasser al-Farhan said: "The new Syria is determined to enshrine justice and the rule of law, protect the rights and freedoms of its citizens, prevent unlawful revenge and guarantee that there is no impunity." Farhan said the committee was working on "gathering and reviewing evidence" related to the wave of violence. He added the committee would "listen to the eyewitnesses" and establish mechanisms for people to contact the investigators, as well as gather and verify video evidence. The findings will be submitted to the presidency and the judiciary, Farhan said. In the coastal town of Jableh, a resident told AFP he had been terrorised by armed groups. "More than 50 people from among my family and friends have been killed," he said, speaking anonymously for his safety. "They gathered bodies with bulldozers and buried them in mass graves." The Observatory said that thousands of Alawite civilians from Jableh and the surrounding area had fled to Russia's Hmeimim airbase, since Friday. The town's mayor, Amjad Sultan, told AFP he had visited the displaced to tell them that security forces were restoring control and "outside is now safe". An AFP photographer saw groups of Alawites fleeing across a river into northern Lebanon. Seven arrests The presidency announced on Sunday that it was forming a committee to "investigate the violations against civilians and identify those responsible". It said it would present its findings within 30 days and that those found responsible would be referred to the courts. The violence began on Thursday, after the attempted arrest of a wanted suspect, with an attack by Assad loyalists on security forces spiralling into clashes. The ensuing killings, mainly targeting members of Assad's Alawite minority, have been described as a massacre by the Observatory, local Christian leaders and US officials. Farhan said the committee would investigate events that occurred between Thursday and Saturday. The Britain-based Observatory, however, has reported more killings since, including on Monday. The authorities have announced the arrest of at least seven individuals since Monday accused of having committed violations against civilians, according to SANA. Summary executions "There are a huge number of people who have been suffering in Syria, in the coastal areas, for five days -- and this needs to stop," UN human rights office spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan told reporters. "According to many testimonies collected by our office, perpetrators raided houses, asking residents whether they were Alawite or Sunni before proceeding to either kill or spare them accordingly. Some survivors told us that many men were shot dead in front of their families." Human Rights Watch called on Syria's new authorities to ensure accountability for the mass killings. "Syria's new leaders promised to break with the horrors of the past, but grave abuses on a staggering scale are being reported against predominantly Alawite Syrians in the coastal region and elsewhere in Syria," its deputy regional director Adam Coogle said. "Government action to protect civilians and prosecute perpetrators of indiscriminate shootings, summary executions, and other grave crimes must be swift and unequivocal," he said. The latest violence has marked the gravest threat to Syria's new authorities, calling into question their ability to govern following repeated vows that they would respect the country's various minorities. The new authorities announced a surprise deal with the autonomous Kurdish administration in the northeast on Monday to integrate its forces into the state security apparatus -- a move analysts say benefits both sides at a critical juncture. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Iraqi News
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Iraqi News
Syria announces end to ‘military operation' after mass killings
Latakia – Syria's new authorities announced on Monday the end of an operation against loyalists of deposed president Bashar al-Assad, after nearly 1,000 civilians were killed in the worst violence since his overthrow. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor reported the mass killings of at least 973 civilians since Thursday, the overwhelming majority of them members of the Alawite minority executed by security forces or allied groups. The fighting in the coastal heartland of the Alawite minority to which the ousted president belongs has threatened to throw into chaos the country's fragile transition after decades of the Assad clan's iron-fisted rule. The authorities on Monday ended their sweeping 'military operation' against security threats and 'regime remnants' in Latakia and Tartus provinces on the Mediterranean coast, defence ministry spokesman Hassan Abdul Ghani said in a statement on official news agency SANA. The announcement came after interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose Islamist group led the offensive that toppled Assad on December 8, said the country would not be dragged into civil war again. 'Syria… will not allow any foreign powers or domestic parties to drag it into chaos or civil war,' Sharaa said in a speech posted by SANA. He also vowed to 'hold accountable, firmly and without leniency, anyone who was involved in the bloodshed of civilians… or who overstepped the powers of the state'. In Jableh in Latakia province, an resident spoke to AFP in tears, requesting anonymity for safety concerns and saying they were being terrorised by armed groups who had taken control of the town. 'More than 50 people from among my family and friends have been killed. They gathered bodies with bulldozers and buried them in mass graves.' – 'Anxiety and fear' – In some areas, residents began tentatively venturing out but many were still afraid to leave home after dark and complained of a lack of basic supplies. 'Today the situation in Latakia is a little calmer, people are out and about after five days of anxiety and extreme fear,' said Farah, a 22-year-old university student who gave only her first name. But with the situation still 'very tense', she said that 'after six o'clock, you do not see anyone in the street… the neighbourhood turns into a ghost town.' Clashes broke out on Thursday after gunmen loyal to the deposed president attacked Syria's new security forces. The ensuing violence killed 231 security personnel and 250 pro-Assad fighters killed, according to the Britain-based Observatory which relies on a network of sources inside Syria. The authorities did not provide any casualty figures. In addition to the mass killings of Alawites, there have been reports of Christians being caught up in the wave of attacks. During a sermon in Damascus on Sunday, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch John X said that 'many innocent Christians were also killed' alongside Alawites. Obituaries were shared on social media for several members of the small Christian community living on the coast. Sharaa's group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which has its roots in the Syrian branch of jihadist network Al-Qaeda, has vowed to protect Syria's religious and ethnic minorities since toppling Assad. HTS is still listed as a terrorist organisation by the United States and other governments. – 'Not in control' – Analysts have said the latest violence calls into question the new authorities' ability to rule and rebuild a country devastated by 13 years of civil war. 'The militia chaos that we saw in the Alawite coastal cities tells us… that the new Syrian army is not in control,' said Joshua Landis, an expert on Syria at the University of Oklahoma. The violence 'will hinder Ahmed al-Sharaa's efforts to consolidate his rule and to convince the international community that he is in control', Landis added. Iran, a key backer of Assad, on Monday rejected accusations that Tehran may have been involved in the latest violence. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei described the claims in media reports, including from the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV channel, as 'completely ridiculous'. United Nations rights chief Volker Turk said Sunday the killings 'must cease immediately', while the Arab League, the United Nations, the United States and other governments have condemned the violence. The presidency also announced that an 'independent committee' had been formed to 'investigate the violations against civilians and identify those responsible for them', who would face the courts.
Roya News
10-03-2025
- Politics
- Roya News
Syria vows accountability after reports of mass killings
Syria's new leader has vowed accountability and an investigation after reports of mass killings of Alawite civilians triggered an international backlash against the worst violence since Bashar al-Assad's overthrow. In its latest toll Monday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said 973 civilians had perished since March 6 in "killings, field executions and ethnic cleansing operations" by security personnel or pro-government fighters in the coastal heartland of the Alawite minority community to which the toppled president belongs. Its previous toll of 830 had specified the "executions" targeted Alawites in the Mediterranean coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus. United Nations rights chief Volker Turk said Sunday the killings "must cease immediately", while the Arab League, the United Nations, the United States, Britain and other governments have condemned the violence. "We will hold accountable, firmly and without leniency, anyone who was involved in the bloodshed of civilians... or who overstepped the powers of the state," Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa said in a video posted by state news agency SANA. Earlier Sunday, the presidency announced on Telegram that an "independent committee" had been formed to "investigate the violations against civilians and identify those responsible for them", who would face the courts. Fighting between the new security forces and loyalists of the former government erupted last Thursday, after earlier tensions, and escalated into reported mass killings. The fighting has killed hundreds of security forces as well as pro-Assad fighters, according to the Observatory, with the overall death toll exceeding 1,300. Sharaa, in a separate address from a Damascus mosque, appealed for national unity. "God willing, we will be able to live together in this country," he said. Chief US diplomat Marco Rubio said Syria "must hold the perpetrators of these massacres against Syria's minority communities accountable", while Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Damascus authorities "must ensure the protection of all Syrians and set out a clear path to transitional justice".
