Syria president receives long-awaited report into violence in coastal region

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has received the final report of the National Fact Finding and Investigation Committee into the violence on the Syrian coast in March, the Syrian presidency announced on Sunday.

A statement from the presidency's office said that the findings will be carefully examined to ensure that steps can be taken to prevent a recurrence of the violence.

The presidency asked the committee to hold a press conference on the results of the investigation, to ensure "the dignity of the victims, the integrity of judicial procedures, and the protection of evidence".

Syrian Network for Human Rights director Fadel Abdulghani told The New Arab's Arabic-language sister site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, described the move as a "good step", with the issue now in the government's hands.

Abdulghani added that the report was handed to the government "a few days ago", with the late announcement possibly due to a review taking place, or the outbreak of violence in Suweida.

The investigative committee was expected to submit its findings before 9 July, following four months of investigations, interviews with witnesses and visits to the sites of the violence, which involved members of Syria's Alawite minority and forces allied to the government. 

Violence broke out in Syria's coastal areas in March after loyalists of the deposed Assad regime attacks on armed groups aligned with the government. After several days of clashes, Damascus deployed its forces and allied militias to the area in a large-scale operation, which saw incidents of killings of civilians, looting and arson.

The SNHR says at least 889 people were killed by government-aligned forces, including 51 children and 63 women. Another 445 people, including nine children and 21 women, were killed by armed groups linked to the deposed Assad regime.

In July, Amnesty International urged President Ahmed al-Sharaa in July to publish the full findings of the investigation.

"President al-Sharaa must commit to publishing the full findings of the fact-finding committee’s investigation into the mass killings targeting Alawite civilians in coastal areas and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice," Kristine Beckerle, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said in a statement at the time.

"Victims and the public have the right to be informed of the methodology used in this process and the committee’s conclusions," she added, highlighting that the government had pledged accountability over the killings.