Pro-government groups committed war crimes in Syrian coast: Amnesty
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Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International's secretary general, urged "accountability for those responsible for this horrifying wave of brutal mass killings."
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Relatives and neighbors attend the funeral procession of 4 Syrian security force members killed in clashes in coastal Syria in the village of al-Janoudiya, west of Idlib, on March 8, 2025. (AP)
Amnesty International found that the events that unfolded in Syria's coastline area were "war crimes", holding Syrian interim government forces accountable for the massacres.
Amnesty International highlighted that pro-government militants killed over 100 people in the seaside city of Baniyas on March 8 and 9, 2025. The group investigated 32 incidents and determined that they were purposeful and targeted the Alawite minority.
Eyewitnesses informed Amnesty International that armed men asked victims if they were Alawites before threatening or murdering them.
In certain cases, they held them responsible for transgressions committed by the ousted regime. Authorities also compelled families to bury their loved ones in mass graves, with no religious or public rituals.
Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International's Secretary General, urged "accountability for those responsible for this horrifying wave of brutal mass killings."
Callamard added that the organization's information shows that "pro-government militias deliberately targeted Alawite civilians in horrific retaliatory attacks, executing individuals in cold blood," as the government did not interfere for two days to end the atrocities.
She underlined that the scale and method of these deaths constitute "war crime", adding that states are obligated to guarantee prompt, independent, effective, and impartial investigations into claims of illegal killings, as well as hold perpetrators accountable.
According to Callamard, "It is crucial for the new authorities to provide truth and justice for the victims of these crimes, without justice, Syria risks descending into another cycle of atrocities and bloodshed."
Amnesty International urged Damascus authorities to launch "independent and effective investigations into unlawful killings" and guarantee that those guilty of human rights breaches do not assume positions that allow them to repeat their crimes.
US holds Syrian government forces responsible for massacres in West
On March 26, the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence reported that massacres in western Syria are attributed to both Syrian interim government forces and armed groups.
In its 2025 Annual Threat Assessment report released late last month, the agency stated that forces from the HTS-led interim government, along with elements of Hurras al-Din and other armed groups, were involved in violence and extrajudicial killings in northwestern Syria in early March 2025, primarily targeting religious minorities, leading to the deaths of at least 1,500 people, including Alawite and Christian civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The report also highlighted that the power shift in Syria has fostered conditions for prolonged instability, which could aid in the resurgence of the Islamic State (ISIS) and other extremist terror groups.
The report also mentioned that some terrorist groups in Syria are refusing to join the new government forces, with ISIS already opposing the HTS’ call for democracy and planning attacks to undermine its governance.
Violence across Latakia and surrounding areas spread following clashes between government security forces and fighters allegedly affiliated with the former regime of Bashar al-Assad, a war monitor reported on March 7.
The Syrian Ministry of Defense announced that the "military operation" on the coastal line had been concluded on March 10, claiming that it eradicated the former regime's cells and members across Tartus and Latakia, noting that an alleged investigation was underway to look into the recent events and ensure justice for the victims.
