First trial begins for suspects in deadly Syria Alawite massacres
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- The first trial began for suspects linked to mass killings in Syria’s Alawite coastal region.
- The March massacres left at least 1,426 people dead, mostly civilians.
- Both Assad loyalists and members of forces aligned with new authorities face charges.
The first court proceedings began on Tuesday for more than a dozen suspects connected to the deadly massacres that struck Syria’s Alawite coastal heartland earlier this year, an Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalist reported from the courtroom.
Authorities say the attacks in March erupted after clashes between supporters of ousted President Bashar al-Assad and forces aligned with the newly established authorities. The violence left at least 1,426 people dead, most of them civilians, according to a national commission of inquiry.
Seven men, including former military personnel accused of targeting government forces, appeared in court alongside seven members of the forces loyal to the current authorities.
"The court is sovereign and independent," Judge Zakaria Bakkar declared as the trial opened in Aleppo, northern Syria.
The Assad loyalists face charges including “sedition, incitement to civil war… attacks against law enforcement, murder, looting, and vandalism,” while the seven members of government-aligned forces are being prosecuted for “premeditated murder.”
The next hearings are scheduled for December 18 for Assad supporters and December 25 for members of the government-aligned forces.
The national commission verified significant violations during the massacres, identifying 298 suspects and reporting the deaths of 238 security force and army personnel in attacks attributed to Assad loyalists. Following the violence, authorities reportedly deployed approximately 200,000 fighters to the region.
Syrian and international monitoring groups have described the events as sectarian massacres, with entire families targeted by government forces, allied militias, and armed volunteers, often involving summary executions.
