Particle.news
Download on the App Store
6 ARTICLES
·
2w ago

UN Commission Finds Likely War Crimes in Syria’s Alawite Coastal Violence

After documenting systematic killings of Alawite civilians by combatants on both sides, the commission calls for expanded investigations alongside vetting of security recruits.

FILE - Red Crescent workers carry a wounded man outside the Russian air base in Hmeimim, near Latakia in Syria's coastal region on March 11, 2025, as they evacuate wounded members of the Alawite sect who have sought refuge there following recent violence and revenge killings. (AP Photo/Omar Albam, File)
Image
People fleeing the sectarian violence in Syria's predominantly Alawite coastal region cross into Lebanon in March
A member of the new Syrian authorities' security forces guards a checkpoint previously held by loyalists to Bashar al-Assad in the coastal province of Latakia in March

Overview

  • Based on over 200 interviews and mass-grave visits, the report describes widespread murder, torture, looting and arson against Alawite communities in March.
  • The commission concluded that some acts by interim government forces and pro-Assad militias likely amount to war crimes.
  • Estimates place the death toll between roughly 1,400 and 1,700 civilians with tens of thousands displaced by the sectarian violence on Syria’s Mediterranean coast.
  • Investigators found no evidence of a central government policy directing the attacks but noted patterns in certain locations suggest organizational directives within specific factions.
  • While dozens of alleged perpetrators have been arrested, the commission urged broader accountability measures with protective screening to keep potential violators out of security ranks.