The head of the National Committee for Investigation and Fact-Finding into the coastal events, Jomaa al-Anzi, announced the start of the first public trial sessions for those accused of committing violations during the coastal events last March, to be open to local and international media on Monday morning, 17 November.
Al-Anzi stated on his account on the X platform that these trials represent “watershed” moments in Syria’s history, reflecting a Syria that lays the foundations of justice and transparency, strengthens confidence in the judicial system, and acts as a deterrent to “criminals”, while respecting the rights of defendants and ensuring fair trials.
“A tremendous effort has been made by the Syrian Ministries of Justice, Interior, and Defense, along with the judicial institution and judicial police, to reach this outcome,” Al-Anzi said, pointing to the size and complexity of the case and the degree of precision it requires in legal qualification, incrimination, prosecution, arrest, and other details.
He considers this step of great importance for the victims’ families and for anyone concerned with the path of justice and redress, and for the “National Independent Committee for Investigation and Fact-Finding into the Coastal Events” itself.
He added, “We are now seeing the committee’s outputs applied on the ground, to prove to Syrians first, and then to the civilized international community, that we live in a state that observes justice and upholds the law.”
Referral of 563 defendants
The official spokesperson for the National Independent Committee for Investigation into the Coastal Events, Yasser al-Farhan, had previously revealed that 298 people accused of attacks against civilians and 265 accused of attacks against Public Security personnel had been referred to the judiciary, a total of 563 defendants.
Al-Farhan attributed the non-disclosure of their identities, in comments to the newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi on 28 September, to “protecting their rights, preventing them from evading justice, and avoiding acts of reprisal that could escalate into sectarian strife in geographically interwoven communities”, as he put it.
He stated that lists of the defendants, their backgrounds, and all related information had been handed over to the judicial authorities, while the committee committed itself to the principle of “non-harm”.
Al-Farhan also expressed his conviction that the public prosecutor and the judicial departments at the Ministry of Justice are continuing their work in reviewing the referred files and proceeding with arrest and investigation measures.
Fact-finding committee’s report
The spokesperson for the committee investigating and fact-finding into the Syrian coastal events, Yasser al-Farhan, announced the findings of its report, which was submitted to Syria’s transitional president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in a press conference on 22 July, regarding the events that took place in the coastal region (western Syria’s Mediterranean coast) last March.
According to al-Farhan, the committee based its conclusions on suspicion, rather than conclusive proof of the kind typically required in courts, and it did not make public the names of suspects in order to avoid causing harm. Their names were organized into annexed tables, and the committee kept confidential the identities of some witnesses who fear disclosure of their real names.
The committee also identified individuals accused of committing violations during the coastal events, including 265 people who had joined unlawful armed groups linked to “al-Assad regime remnants”, in addition to 298 individuals and groups tied to certain military units and factions among the overall participating forces, who allegedly disobeyed military orders and are suspected of committing violations against civilians.
Verification mechanisms
In its investigations, the committee focused on identifying the perpetrators and their backgrounds by multiple means, including speaking with families and listening to hundreds of testimonies from victims’ relatives.
With the Ministry of Defense responding to the committee’s request to identify persons appearing in specific photos and videos, the committee was able to establish the full names of 298 individuals suspected of involvement in violations, noting that this figure remains preliminary.
By examining digital evidence, and with significant assistance from the Ministry of Defense, the committee was able to pinpoint individuals and groups linked to certain military units and factions among the overall participating forces. The committee believes these individuals and groups disobeyed military orders and are suspected of having committed violations against civilians.
The violations documented range from killing more than one person in the same incident, to intentional homicide, armed looting of property, destruction and burning of homes and shops, using sectarian insults, and disobeying military orders as set out in Syria’s general Penal Code.
What are the coastal events?
The coastal events erupted on 6 March, following movements by some elements of the previous regime’s army, who targeted Public Security personnel in rural areas of Latakia (a coastal city in western Syria).
Within hours, those whom government circles refer to as “remnants” took control of parts of the cities of Latakia and Tartus (a coastal city in western Syria), leaving dead among Public Security personnel.
These developments prompted the Ministries of Defense and Interior to bring reinforcements into the area, followed by support from “unruly” pro-government factions, alongside armed local civilians. This resulted in extensive violations against civilians and the killing of hundreds of them on sectarian grounds.
By dawn on 7 March, government-affiliated forces had regained control of the situation, but tensions and extrajudicial killings continued until 8 March.
After the coastal events, the head of the transitional phase, Ahmed al-Sharaa, decreed the formation of a fact-finding committee to examine the causes that led to the outbreak of the events and the subsequent violations and killings of civilians and Public Security personnel.
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