Tomorrow, Tuesday, the first sessions of the trial of the accused in the events of the Syrian coast will begin

SadaNews - The head of the "National Commission for Investigation and Fact-Finding into the Events of the Syrian Coast", Jumaa Al-Anzi, announced that the first public trial sessions for the defendants accused of committing violations during the events that took place on March 6, 2025, and thereafter, will begin tomorrow morning, Tuesday. Meanwhile, the investigation committee into the events of Sweida confirmed the arrest of individuals from the Ministries of Defense and Interior and referred them to the competent judiciary.

Al-Anzi confirmed, in a post on his "X" account, that the trials will be public and open to local and international media, describing the trial as reflecting the image of Syria that lays the foundations of justice and transparency.

He added, "We are aware of the magnitude and complexity of the file and what it requires in terms of accuracy and scrutiny in legal attribution, criminalization, prosecution, and arrest, along with other details that are of utmost importance to the victims' families and anyone concerned with the path of justice and fairness."

The Syrian government formed the committee a week after the security tensions that occurred in the Syrian coastal region on March 6 last year, amid coordinated attacks by remnants of the ousted President Bashar al-Assad's regime against security patrols and checkpoints, resulting in deaths and injuries.

Later, the investigation committee announced that it had conducted 10 visits to Banias, during which it listened to more than 300 testimonies, noting that it recorded 95 testimonies regarding the events according to legal standards in the city of Latakia.

The committee also stated that it received more than 30 reports regarding the events and examined 9 sites, listening to the testimonies of security, military, and civilian parties in Latakia, and entered all areas that witnessed the events.

Events in Sweida

Meanwhile, the National Commission for Investigation into the Events of Sweida presented the results of its work and pledged to hold accountable all those involved in the violations that occurred in the governorate last July.

The head of the committee, Hatem Al-Nassan, stated that the committee visited the sites of the assaults in the countryside of Sweida and Damascus and other areas, documenting hundreds of testimonies and preserving evidence related to the violations, noting that the committee requested an extension of its work for two months due to its inability to enter the city of Sweida.

Al-Nassan also stated that the committee ordered the arrest of several members of the army and security forces who were found to have committed violations during the events in Sweida, confirming that the Ministries of Defense and Interior detained the accused and the investigation committee referred the matter to the competent judiciary.

For his part, Ammar Ezzeddin, spokesman for the investigation committee into the events in Sweida, stated in an interview with Al Jazeera from Damascus that the committee collected and preserved evidence to ensure its safety for submission to the judiciary, confirming that the competent judiciary will subsequently prosecute those proven to be involved.

He added that the committee detained individuals from the Ministries of Defense and Interior (army and security) who were found to have committed violations during the events in Sweida and referred them to the competent judiciary, adding that the committee will make recommendations to prevent the recurrence of such violations in Sweida.

The committee noted that the allowing of the international investigation committee's entry confirms the seriousness of the Syrian state in holding accountable those responsible.

Violence broke out on July 13 last year between armed Druze and Bedouin tribes in Sweida, leading to widespread clashes and the deaths of hundreds of people with government forces intervening in the confrontations.

Violence renewed on August 3 when armed groups attacked the Syrian internal security forces in Sweida, which was considered a violation of a truce agreed upon on July 19.

On September 16, as part of efforts to resolve the crisis, and with Jordanian-American support, the Syrian foreign ministry announced a seven-step roadmap that includes accountability, reconciliation, the flow of aid, compensating the affected, restoring essential services, deploying local forces, and revealing the fate of the missing.

Source: Al Jazeera