More than 1,400 killed in sectarian violence in coastal Syria, report finds

More than 1,400 people, mostly civilians, were killed successful respective days of sectarian unit successful Syria’s coastal regions earlier this year, a authorities committee tasked with investigating the attacks has found.

The committee said it had identified 298 suspects implicated successful superior violations during the violence successful the country’s Alawite heartland that near astatine slightest 1,426 members of the number assemblage dormant successful March.

Tuesday’s findings travel aft a caller question of violence involving the country’s Druze community, raising further questions implicit the caller government’s quality to negociate sectarian tensions and support information aft the December overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad – himself an Alawite.

The March unit took spot successful a predominantly Alawite portion of Syria’s coast, wherever authorities forces and allied groups were accused of carrying retired summary executions, mostly targeting Alawite civilians, with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights saying much than 1,700 radical were killed.

The committee’s study said determination was nary grounds that Syria’s subject enactment ordered attacks connected the Alawite community.

The committee’s probe documented “serious violations against civilians connected March 7, 8 and 9, including murder, premeditated murder, looting, demolition and burning of homes, torture and sectarian insults”, spokesperson Yasser al-Farhan told a quality league successful Damascus.

The committee confirmed “the names of 1,426 dead, including 90 women, with astir of the remainder being civilians” from the Alawite community, helium said, adding that an unspecified fig of further dormant had not been verified.

The probe besides “identified 298 individuals by name” who were suspected of engagement successful the violations, al-Farhan continued, describing the fig arsenic provisional.

These person been referred for prosecution, and 37 radical person been arrested, officials told journalists.

They didn’t accidental however galore suspects were members of information forces.

‘Bigger than conscionable violations’    

Authorities person accused gunmen loyal to al-Assad of instigating the violence, launching deadly attacks that killed dozens of information personnel.

The committee said 238 members of the service and information forces were killed successful the attacks successful the provinces of Tartous, Latakia and Hama.

About 200,000 pro-government subject reinforcements past converged connected the area, according to al-Farhan.

Jana Mustafa, a 24-year-old pupil from Baniyas whose begetter was killed during the violence, said she had not been waiting for the study “because the information was wide to me”.

“The fig of bodies, the wide graves and the screams of the victims were capable to clarify what happened,” she said, expressing disappointment that the committee’s announcements appeared to see “justifications for everything that happened”.

“The contented is bigger than conscionable violations. It was directed against an full sect,” she added.

The committee said it based its study connected much than 30 on-site visits, meetings with dozens of radical successful the towns and villages wherever violations occurred, and testimonies from hundreds of witnesses and victims. It besides heard from authorities officials.

Al-Farhan said the committee had identified radical “linked to definite subject groups and factions” among those progressive successful the violence, adding it believed they “violated subject orders and are suspected of committing violations against civilians”.

‘Disappointed and frustrated’

Rama Hussein, 22, whose 3 sisters, 2 cousins and gramps were killed successful the Jableh region, said she was “sad, disappointed and frustrated” with the committee.

“No 1 listened to my testimony, nary 1 visited america – I don’t cognize who this committee met oregon who they saw,” she said.

“I anticipation we spot existent accountability, not conscionable reports and property conferences,” she said, calling for compensation for the families of those killed.

Human rights groups and planetary organisations person said full families were killed, including women, children and the elderly.

Gunmen stormed homes and asked residents whether they were Alawite oregon Sunni earlier sidesplitting oregon sparing them, they said.

Committee president Jumaa al-Anzi said authorities had been consulted to place individuals who appeared successful videos connected societal media documenting violations, and that immoderate of them were included among the suspects.

The assemblage said 2 lists of radical “suspected of engagement successful attacks oregon violations” had been referred to the judiciary.

Al-Anzi, the committee’s chair, said that “we person nary grounds that the [military] leaders gave orders to perpetrate violations”.

The presidency had said caller Syrian person Ahmed al-Sharaa had received the committee’s study connected July 13, the aforesaid time that sectarian unit erupted successful the Druze-majority state of Suwayda.

Those clashes broke retired betwixt Sunni Muslim Bedouin clans and Druze equipped groups, and authorities information forces who intervened to reconstruct order.

Druze equipped groups launched revenge attacks connected Bedouin communities.

Hundreds person been killed, and the United Nations says much than 128,500 radical person been displaced. The unit has mostly stopped arsenic a ceasefire takes hold.

The committee seat said the unit successful Suwayda is “painful for each Syrians” but “beyond the jurisdiction” of his committee.

“Time volition uncover what happened and who is liable for it,” helium said.