A Syrian fact-finding committee investigating sectarian killings during the clashes between the army and loyalists of Bashar al-Assad said on Tuesday that no one is above the law. The committee, which includes a spokesperson, will seek the arrest and prosecution of any perpetrators.
The committee’s goal is to investigate reports of hundreds of civilians killed in villages with majority Alawite populations. Alawites are the second-largest religious group in Syria after Sunni Muslims.
According to the United Nations human rights office, entire families including women and children were killed as part of a series of sectarian killings by the army against an insurgency by Assad loyalists.
Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa said that he cannot confirm whether forces from the defence ministry were involved in the killings. The committee plans to use national mechanisms to document violations, but remains open to cooperation with international organizations.
The violence began after the authorities claimed their forces came under attack from fighters aligned with the ousted Assad regime. The Sunni Islamist-led government responded by pouring reinforcements into the area to crush the alleged assault.
However, Sharaa acknowledged that some armed groups entered without prior coordination with the defence ministry.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/syrian-fact-finding-committee-sectarian-killings-says-no-one-above-law-2025-03-11