A government committee tasked with investigating the attacks has discovered that more than 1,400 people, mostly civilians, were killed in sectarian violence in Syria’s coastal regions earlier this year.
The committee reported that it had located 298 suspects in connection with the deadly violence in the Alawite heartland of the country that resulted in the deaths of at least 1, 426 people from minority communities in March.
Following a recent wave of violence involving the nation’s Druze population, the findings of Tuesday raise further questions about how well-equipped is the new administration to manage sectarian tensions and maintain security following Bashar al-Assad’s, who is also an Alawite, overthrow.
More than 1,700 people were killed, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, in a region of Syria’s coast where government forces and allies were accused of carrying out summary executions, mostly against Alawite civilians.
No evidence was presented in the committee’s report that Syria’s military leadership had ordered attacks on the Alawite community, according to the report.
According to spokesman Yasser al-Farhan, the committee’s investigation found “serious violations against civilians on March 7, 8 and 9 including murder, premeditated murder, looting, destruction and burning of homes, torture, and sectarian insults,” according to spokesman Yasser al-Farhan at a press conference in Damascus.
According to him, the committee confirmed the names of “1, 426 dead, of which 90 women are mostly civilians,” adding that an undetermined number of additional dead had not been determined.
According to al-Farhan, the investigation also “identified 298 individuals by name” who were suspected of being involved in the crimes, he continued.
According to officials, these have been subjected to legal proceedings, and 37 people have been detained.
How many suspects were security forces members, they didn’t say.
Bigger than just violations, nbsp, nbsp,
Authorities have charged al-Assad’s loyal gunmen with starting the conflict and carrying out deadly attacks that resulted in the deaths of dozens of security personnel.
According to the committee, 238 army and security forces members were killed in the Tartous, Latakia, and Hama provinces’ attacks.
Al-Farhan claims that about 200, 000 pro-government military reinforcements then converged on the area.
Jana Mustafa, a 24-year-old Baniyas student whose father was killed in the violence, stated that the report had not been in her hands because the “truth was clear to me.”
She complained that the committee’s announcements appeared to include “justifications for everything that happened,” saying that “the number of bodies, the mass graves, and the victims’ screams were sufficient to clarify what happened.”
“The problem extends beyond just violations,” he says. She continued, “It was directed at a whole sect.”
The committee said its findings were based on testimony from hundreds of witnesses and victims as well as more than 30 on-site visits, meetings with dozens of people in the towns and villages where violations took place. Additionally, it heard from government representatives.
Al-Farhan claimed that the committee had identified individuals among those responsible for the violence who were “linked to particular military organizations and factions” and that they had “violated military orders and are suspected of committing violations against civilians.”
“Frustrated and disappointed”
Rama Hussein, 22, said she was “sad, disappointed, and frustrated” with the committee despite the fact that her three sisters, two cousins, and grandfather were all killed in the Jableh region.
No one observed my testimony or visited us; she claimed, “I don’t know who this committee met or who they saw.”
She urged compensation for the victims’ families and said, “I hope we see real accountability, not just reports and press conferences.”
According to human rights organizations and international organizations, women, children, and the elderly were among the victims.
Before killing or sparing them, gunmen allegedly entered homes and inquired whether they were Sunni or Alawite.
Jumaa al-Anzi, the committee’s chairman, claimed that some of the suspects had been identified after being vetted by authorities for their involvement in the investigation into those who posted videos of violations on social media.
The judiciary was given two lists of people “suspposed to being involved in attacks or violations,” according to the body.
The committee’s chair, Al-Anzi, stated that “we have no proof that the]military] leaders gave orders to commit violations.”
The committee’s report was received on July 13th, the same day as sectarian violence broke out in Suwayda, the presidency had claimed.
Sunni Muslim Bedouin clans and Druze armed groups, as well as government security forces who intervened, engaged in bloodshed.
In retaliation against Bedouin communities, Druze-backed groups attacked them.
More than 128, 500 people have been displaced, according to the UN, and hundreds have been killed. As a result of a ceasefire, the violence has largely subsided.
The committee chair claimed that the violence in Suwayda was “painful for all Syrians” but “belongs to the purview of his committee.”
Source: Aljazeera
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