A UN team of investigators found in a report on Thursday that a major outbreak of sectarian violence in Syria’s coastal areas in March could constitute to a war crime.
The report also pointed out at the involvement of all sides in these violations. The incidents invovled loyalists to ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and government forces.
Some 1,400 people, mainly civilians, were reported killed during the violence that primarily targeted Alawite communities, and reports of violations continue, according to a report by the UN Syria Commission of Inquiry.
The report also pointed out at the involvement of all sides in these violations. The incidents involved loyalists to ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and government forces.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has previously denounced the violence as a threat to his mission to unite the country and promised to punish those responsible.
The commission acknowledged in its report the commitment of Syria’s authorities to identify those responsible but said the scale of the violence warranted further steps.
“The Syrian Arab Republic values these efforts and reaffirms its commitment to incorporating the recommendations into the ongoing process of institution-building and the consolidation of the rule of law in the new Syria,” Foreign Minister Syria’s Asaad al-Shaibani said in a letter responding to the report, which it said aligned with its own findings.
US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack welcomed the report and said it was a “serious step” towards assessing responsibility for violations. The administration of President Donald Trump is gradually lifting Syria sanctions dating back to al-Assad’s rule.
Reuters
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