UN envoy warns Syria’s new authorities against retaliatory violence

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
12 Feb 2025 23:35

Despite reassurances from Syria’s new leadership, members of the Alawite community fear targeted reprisals.

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Geir Pedersen, the United Nations' special envoy to Syria, speaks to journalists in Damascus, Syria, Wednesday, December 18, 2024. (AP)

The United Nations envoy for Syria on Wednesday urged the country's new leadership to prevent a cycle of revenge and retribution following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

Addressing a UN Security Council meeting, Geir Pedersen expressed concern over reports of violence under Syria’s transitional authorities, citing accounts of "men killed in the exchange of fire" and "serious ill-treatment in detention." He also highlighted reports of "kidnappings, looting, expropriation of property, and forced evictions of families from public housing."

Al-Assad was deposed in December by factions led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, with its leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, now serving as Syria’s interim president.

Pedersen noted that authorities had assured him "there is no policy of revenge or retribution" and that hundreds of detainees had been released. However, he cautioned that there remains a "lack of clarity" regarding the due process for those still in detention.

The envoy emphasized that it was the "responsibility of the caretaker authorities" to put an end to rights violations and to establish "a comprehensive transitional justice framework."

Despite reassurances from Syria’s new leadership, members of al-Assad’s Alawite community fear targeted reprisals. Since al-Assad’s ouster, violence against Alawites has escalated, with a leading watchdog reporting over 160 killings.

Pedersen, who recently visited Syria, also noted growing concerns among residents about "discriminatory practices against women" and "increasing social pressure" to conform to certain norms.

The UN official welcomed "recent decisions and signals" from the United States and the European Union regarding the potential easing of sanctions on Syria. However, he stressed that "a credible transition will be essential to continuing and expanding positive and bold sanctions moves."

"Syria faces are myriad and immense, including an ongoing conflict, a fragmented security landscape, a battered economy, and a population emerging from fourteen years of war in a situation of great hope but also division too," Pedersen concluded.