Syrian committee reports 1,426 killed in March violence

A Syrian government fact-finding committee said on Tuesday that 1,426 people had died in March in attacks on security forces and subsequent mass killings of Alawites, but concluded that commanders had not given orders for the revenge attacks.

The incidents in the coastal region were the worst violence to hit Syria since the downfall of President Bashar al-Assad last year. The fact-finding committee's work is seen as an important test of the new leadership who are facing new unrest this month involving other minority groups in the southwest.

The committee concluded that Syrian commanders did not give orders to commit violations and, in fact, gave orders to halt them.

It came up with a list of 298 suspects involved in violations against Alawites and 265 involved in the initial attack on security forces, committee head Jumaa Al-Anzi said.

The names are not being released publicly for now and have been referred to courts for further investigations, spokesperson Yasser Farhan said. He added that 31 people who committed violations against civilians had been arrested, as well as six people he referred to as "remnants" of the former regime.

The Supreme Alawite Council condemned the committee's findings, describing it in a statement on Tuesday as an "impudent play."

It said it rejects the findings of the committee, blaming the attacks in March on the "de facto authority" represented by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and his government.

They called for an international and independent investigation under the direct supervision of the United Nations.

A Reuters investigation last month identified 1,479 Syrian Alawites killed and dozens who were missing from 40 distinct sites of revenge killings and found a chain of command leading from the attackers directly to men who serve alongside Syria’s new leaders in Damascus.

Syria's new leadership, led by Sunni Muslim groups against Assad, a member of the Alawite minority sect, has long sought to reassure minorities they will be safe.

Safety of minorities has become a major issue again this month with hundreds of people killed in clashes between government security forces, Bedouin fighters and fighters from the Druze sect in the southern province of Sweida. The authorities have set up a new fact-finding committee in response.

The violence began on March 6 with attacks on Syrian security forces stationed in the region. It put hospitals and other state institutions out of operation and caused large areas to fall out of government control, Farhan said.

The committee found that 238 members of the security forces were killed in these attacks, perpetrated by forces aligned with the former Assad government, Farhan said.

In response, around 200,000 armed men mobilised from across Syria, pouring into the coastal region, he said.

This led to violations including killings, theft and sectarian incitement that the committee found were "widespread but not organised," Farhan said.

He said the committee members had full cooperation from government forces as they carried out months of work and it was now up to Sharaa whether to release their report in full.

Diana Semaan, Syria researcher at Amnesty International, called for the full findings to be released and for perpetrators to face prosecution.

"In terms of the fact-finding committee, acknowledging that atrocities against Alawite civilians happened is an important step towards justice," she told Reuters.

"[But] without the proper prosecution of perpetrators, then we have impunity. It won't be the justice and accountability that the victims deserve."