Overview of the UN Findings
According to a detailed report by the United Nations, severe war crimes were likely committed by both factions participating in the Syrian conflict during an outbreak of sectarian violence in March. The clashes, which primarily targeted the Alawite communities in Syria’s coastal areas, resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,400 individuals, mostly civilians. The UN Syria Commission of Inquiry, which released its findings recently, based its conclusions on over 200 interviews with victims and witnesses, alongside visits to mass grave sites.
Details of the Atrocities
The report outlines a harrowing sequence of events where Alawite men were forcibly separated from women and children, subsequently murdered, with their bodies left unburied or placed in mass graves without proper rites. Such acts, including torture and the desecration of corpses, have been labeled by the UN as likely constituting war crimes. Hospitals in the area struggled to cope with the influx of casualties resulting from these brutal acts.
Responses from the Interim Government
Despite efforts by the interim government’s forces to halt these violations and protect civilians, the report highlighted that certain members committed widespread and systematic abuses against civilians in Alawite-majority villages. However, the commission noted that it found no evidence of a governmental policy or directive to conduct such attacks. In response to the violence, interim authorities have reportedly arrested dozens of suspects involved in the violations, but the UN report urges further actions to enhance accountability and justice.
Pro-Assad Forces’ Involvement
The investigation also sheds light on the role of pro-Assad armed groups, who are accused of initiating the violence by launching deadly attacks against security personnel. These events escalated following an arrest operation by Syrian interim authorities on March 6, leading to significant casualties among army and security forces in the regions of Tartous, Latakia, and Hama.
Call for Accountability
Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, chair of the UN commission, emphasized the disturbing nature of the documented violence and called for the interim authorities to intensify efforts to pursue accountability for all perpetrators, irrespective of their affiliation or rank. The commission’s report marks these incidents as the worst violence in the coastal region since the ousting of former President Bashar al-Assad in December of the previous year.
Looking Forward
The interim government had previously established a fact-finding committee which, in July, identified 298 suspects implicated in serious violations during the March violence. While the committee found no evidence of direct orders from Syria’s military leadership to attack the Alawite community, the need for comprehensive measures to ensure justice and prevent future atrocities remains critical.