Enab Baladi – Ali Darwish
Following hit-and-run attacks by remnants of the previous regime, thousands of fighters headed to the coastal areas of Syria to repel these offensives. The biggest losers in these events were the government security forces along with civilians.
The Syrian Transitional President, Ahmed al-Sharaa, was quick to comment on the events that peaked between March 6 and 8, and established two committees, one for public peace and another for investigation and inquiry.
The decision to form the High Committee for Maintaining Public Peace was issued on March 9, composed of three members: Hassan Soufan, Dr. Anas Airout, and Dr. Khaled al-Ahmad. Their task is to communicate directly with the locals in the Syrian coast to listen to them and provide the necessary support to ensure their security and stability.
The committee will also work to enhance national unity during this sensitive phase, according to the text of the decision.
As for the Investigation and Fact-Finding Committee, its tasks include uncovering the perpetrators involved in the killings of civilians during military operations, among other duties. However, this committee is expected to face obstacles in its work.
A necessary first step
Syrian affairs researcher Abdul Rahman al-Haj explained that the committee is the first step preceding the trials. Its main mission is to investigate and reveal the truth regarding what happened in the coastal areas, identify the culprits and those responsible for these bloody events, the suspects, and the victims, as well as gather evidence and protect witnesses while bringing perpetrators to justice.
Al-Haj added that al-Sharaa issued the decision due to the political and security nature of the events, and as the head of the executive authority, it could have been issued by the Minister of Justice. However, the importance and sensitivity of the committee apparently compelled al-Sharaa to form it, and its issuance by him adds the necessary significance to it.
The committee’s neutrality depends on the reputation of its judges and members, who have a good reputation and the necessary integrity, with a stance against Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (an opposing stance). Most of them are dissident judges, meaning they are not part of the power and are not a party, which ensures at least the necessary integrity, according to al-Haj.
The committee includes judges Hanadi Abu Arab, Jumaa al-Dubais al-Anzi, Khaled Adwan al-Halou, Ali al-Nassan, and Alaa al-Din Youssef Latif, along with Colonel Awad Ahmed al-Ali and lawyer Yasser al-Farhan.
What are the committee’s tasks?
According to a statement from the Syrian Presidency about the committee issued on March 9, the committee’s tasks include:
- Uncovering the causes, circumstances, and context that led to the events.
- Investigating violations against civilians and identifying those responsible.
- Investigating assaults on public institutions and security and military personnel and determining accountability.
- Referring anyone proven to be involved in crimes and violations to the judiciary.
All concerned governmental bodies must cooperate with the committee as required to complete its tasks, and the committee has the right to seek assistance from anyone it deems appropriate for its work. It is expected to submit its report to the Syrian Presidency within a maximum of 30 days from the date of the decision’s issuance.
The committee’s spokesperson, lawyer Yasser al-Farhan, explained during a press conference held in Damascus on March 11 that the committee will develop a program to interview witnesses and anyone who can assist in the investigation, identify sites that need to be visited, and establish communication mechanisms with the committee, which will be announced soon.
Al-Farhan stated that the committee will be present on the ground and will listen to eyewitnesses without relying only on recordings shared on social media.
The committee will disclose the results of its investigations, maintain the confidentiality of witnesses, and submit these results to the judiciary and specialized courts. It will also prepare lists of potential witnesses while providing protection for any witness wishing to testify under witness protection programs.
Al-Farhan emphasized that “no one is above the law,” confirming that the committee will present its findings to the Syrian Presidency and to the judiciary, which will then judge or acquit.
Is al-Sharaa ready to punish his leaders?
Abdul Rahman al-Haj pointed to the main obstacles that will face the committee’s work, primarily the concealment and manipulation of evidence, attempts by various parties to influence it, the fear of witnesses to give testimony, and the protection of any evidence they may find.
Additionally, the limited time frame for the committee’s work may not be sufficient to reach definitive conclusions. Therefore, it is making tremendous efforts to arrive at decisive and credible findings, according to al-Haj.
If the involvement of leaders close to al-Sharaa is proven, the president will only be able to bring them to trial. This commitment would enhance public trust in the state and reinforce the rule of law, and it would be in his and the country’s best interest to adhere to the investigation’s results and hold the culprits accountable, al-Haj added.
In his speech on March 9, al-Sharaa pledged to hold accountable anyone who kills civilians, stating, “There will be no one above the law, and anyone whose hands are stained with the blood of Syrians will face justice sooner rather than later.”
He stated that the Syrian state criminalizes any call or request for intervention in Syria’s affairs or any call for stirring sedition or dividing Syria, saying, “There is no place among us for such calls. Syria, with all its components, will remain united by the determination of its people and the strength of its army, and we will not allow any party to tamper with its national unity or disrupt public peace.”
Al-Sharaa stressed that Syria will not be dragged into a civil war, asserting, “Syria will remain steadfast, and we will not allow any external forces or local parties to drag it into chaos or civil war. We are committed to moving forward toward the future that befits our great people.”
Attack of the Assad regime’s remnants
On March 6, groups of remnants from the Assad regime attacked points and barriers belonging to the General Security Administration and military units affiliated with the Ministry of Defense. The attack did not spare hospitals or even civilian vehicles.
During the assaults, members of the Ministry of Defense and the General Security Administration were besieged, resulting in dozens of fatalities among them alongside civilian casualties. This led to military reinforcements being dispatched to the area to halt the attack and break the siege. Accompanying these reinforcements, military groups proceeded to the area without clear coordination with the Ministry of Defense or General Security.
The clashes intensified between the two parties, and the government forces ultimately managed to regain control of the situation, but the military operations resulted in civilian deaths.
President al-Sharaa blamed the remnants of the previous regime from the Fourth Division, led by Maher al-Assad, and a foreign allied state (unnamed) for the bloodshed in the Syrian coast, aiming to incite disturbances and create sectarian strife, acknowledging that retaliatory operations followed.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) documented the deaths of 803 people from March 6 to 10 across the provinces of Latakia, Tartus, and Hama.
The network recorded at least 172 fatalities among security, police, and military personnel (Internal Security Forces and the Ministry of Defense), and 211 civilians, including one humanitarian worker, at the hands of armed groups operating outside the state framework linked to the Assad regime, which also attacked six hospitals in Tartus and Latakia.
Additionally, the network documented at least 420 deaths of civilians and unarmed militants “at the hands of armed forces participating in military operations (factions and groups nominally affiliated with the Ministry of Defense).”