Syria committee identifies nearly 300 suspects in Alawite-majority coastal violence

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A fact-finding committee probing sectarian violence in Syria’s coastal Alawite-majority areas in March said on Tuesday that it identified nearly 300 suspects in connection with the events, which left more than 1,700 people dead, mostly from the Alawite community.

Investigations by the committee documented “serious violations against civilians,” including “murder, premeditated murder, looting, destruction and burning of homes, torture, and sectarian insults,” committee spokesperson Yasser al-Farhan said during a Damascus presser.

It further “identified 298 individuals by name who were involved,” according to Farhan.

In March, violence erupted in Syria’s Alawite-majority coastal areas after armed groups, many loyal to ousted president Bashar al-Assad, launched attacks on forces allied with the government, prompting Damascus to respond with force.

At least 1,700 people, mainly Alawite civilians, were killed in the waves of violence, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which said that most of the casualties were caused by government or government-affiliated forces.

The committee confirmed the deaths of 1,426 people, including 90 women, the majority of them civilians from the Alawite community. It added that 238 army and security personnel were also killed in the March 7-9 violence in Tartus, Latakia, and Hama provinces.

In response to the violence, interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa established what he called an “independent national committee” to investigate the events. The seven-member panel includes five judges, a lawyer, and a brigadier general, and was initially tasked with delivering its findings within 30 days.

Farhan said two lists of suspects have been submitted to the judiciary.

The March bloodshed sparked widespread condemnation, including from the United Nations, the United Kingdom, France, Iraq, and Iran. Saudi Arabia and Turkey expressed support for the new authorities in Damascus.

Following a swift offensive in December, a coalition of opposition groups - then headed by the now-dissolved Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) under Sharaa - toppled the regime of longtime dictator Assad. Sharaa was appointed interim president in January, vowing to lead an inclusive political transition and repeatedly pledging to respect the rights of all ethnic and religious groups.

However, the interim government has faced criticism from minority groups, including the Kurds, who accuse it of exclusionary policies and centralization of power.

The committee’s findings also come after a fresh wave of violence rocked the southern Druze-majority Suwayda province.

The fighting between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes erupted on June 13, leading to a regional crisis as Israel intervened in support of the Druze, striking several targets, including Syrian state forces and an airstrike on the defense ministry building in Damascus.

At least 1,265 people have been killed in the violence in Suwayda, according to the Observatory.

A Washington-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Syria was announced on Saturday by US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack, with the truce seemingly holding. The Druze are in control of the province, while Syrian government forces are guarding the entrance to prevent Sunni fighters' entry in a bid to avoid further tensions.

In June, the Observatory reported that 7,670 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the first half of the year due to ongoing violence and widespread “security chaos.”

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