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Arab News
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Syria identifies 298 suspects in Alawite heartland killings
DAMASCUS: A Syrian committee investigating sectarian violence in the country's Alawite heartland said Tuesday it identified 298 suspects implicated in serious violations that left at least 1,426 Alawites dead in March. The violence unfolded over three days in early March on Syria's predominantly Alawite coast, where government forces and allied groups were accused of carrying out summary executions, mostly targeting Alawite civilians. 'The committee identified 298 individuals by name, who were involved,' spokesman Yasser Al-Farhan told a press conference in Damascus, describing the figure as provisional. He said two lists of suspects had been referred to the judiciary. The committee documented 'serious violations against civilians on March 7, 8 and 9, including murder, premeditated murder, looting, destruction and burning of homes, torture and sectarian insults.' It confirmed the names of 1,426 dead, including 90 women, with most of the rest being civilians from the Alawite community. Authorities have accused gunmen loyal to former president Bashar Assad, an Alawite, of instigating the violence, launching deadly attacks that killed dozens of security forces personnel. Damascus sent military reinforcements to the region after the attacks. The committee said 238 army and security force personnel were killed in the attacks in the provinces of Tartus, Latakia and Hama. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor reported the deaths of more than 1,700 people, mostly Alawite civilians. According to human rights and international organizations, entire families were killed in the violence including women, children, and the elderly. Gunmen stormed homes and asked their residents whether they were Alawite or Sunni before killing or sparing them, they said. Amnesty International has urged Syria to publish the full results of the investigation and ensure those responsible are held accountable. On Sunday, the presidency said Syrian leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa had received the committee's report on July 13, the same day sectarian violence erupted in the Druze heartland of Sweida, killing more than 1,200 people according to the Observatory. The bouts of violence have raised questions over the authorities' ability to manage sectarian tensions and maintain security, more than seven months after Islamists overthrew Assad, who long presented himself as a protector of minorities.
Khaleej Times
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Syria determined to prevent unlawful revenge, says fact-finding committee
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". "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," committee spokesman Yasser Al Farhan said at a press conference in Damascus. Farhan said the committee was working on "gathering and reviewing evidence" related to the wave of violence mainly along the Mediterranean coast, the heartland of the Alawite minority to which deposed president Bashar al-Assad belongs. Security forces and allied groups killed at least 1,093 civilians since Thursday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor. The UN Human Rights Office on Tuesday said it 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. Farhan said the committee would "listen to the eyewitnesses" and establish mechanisms for people to contact the investigators, as well as gathering and verifying video evidence. The findings will be submitted to the presidency and the judiciary, Farhan said. The presidency announced on Sunday the formation of the committee to "investigate the violations against civilians and identify those responsible for them". It said those found to be responsible for violations would be referred to the judiciary. The violence broke on Thursday after the attempted arrest of a wanted suspect, with an attack by Assad loyalists against security 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 Israeli and US officials. Farhan said the committee would investigate events that occurred between Thursday and Saturday — when the Observatory had reported a "relative return to calm" in the coastal region. The Britain-based monitor, however, has reported more killings since including on Monday. Speaking to AFP, many residents said they had witnessed the killing of civilians during violent fighting and security sweeps in the area. The Observatory and social media users shared footage showing bodies piled outside a house, and men in military garb shooting people at close range. AFP could not independently verify the images.
