Syria
Demonstrators gather in Qamishli, northeast Syria (Rojava), on March 11, 2025 to protest violence targeting Syria’s Alawite minority. Photo: AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Trials of individuals accused of committing violations against Syria’s Alawite community, which led to the deaths of hundreds during minority-targeted violence in March, are set to continue on Thursday, the head of the fact-finding mission investigating the deadly events confirmed.
In a statement on X, Judge Jomaa al-Anzi said, “On Thursday, in the city of Aleppo, the second session of the trials for the defendants referred to the judiciary by the Independent National Committee for Investigation and Fact-Finding on the Coastal Violence, following the events of March 6, will be held.”
Anzi added that “this underscores the Syrian government’s commitment to and seriousness in adopting open public trials” to “break the cycle of violence and impunity, promote transparency, protect the rights of defendants on both sides, and strengthen community oversight of the judiciary.”
Sectarian fighting erupted in Syria’s Alawite-majority coastal regions in early March, when loyalists of ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad attacked security forces aligned with the new interim leadership.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported approximately 1,700 deaths, the majority of whom were Alawite civilians, with many casualties attributed to Syrian interim government or pro-government forces.
The violence drew international condemnation, with United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen urging Damascus in late July to “ensure justice for victims and accountability for all perpetrators.”
Pedersen also emphasized that “major course corrections on security and the political transition are needed,” stressing that “a fragmented security architecture, dominated by militias and lacking clear command, cannot sustain peace.”
In his statement on X, Anzi confirmed that Thursday’s trials “will be attended by international and local human rights organizations.”
Recognizing that “millions of Syrians are awaiting the broader launch of the transitional justice process,” Anzi noted that “the scale of this issue requires extensive work and preparation to hold thousands of former regime criminals accountable.”
The first public trial related to the March violence began in mid-November in Aleppo, with 14 defendants accused of committing violations against the Alawite minority. The trial was held in the presence of the victims’ families.
The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that seven of the defendants were associates of the Assad regime, “charged with inciting strife, committing theft, and assaulting internal security forces and the Syrian Arab Army.”
The remaining seven were described as “rogue [security] members” and were “accused of theft and murder,” the state-run agency said.
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