Syria arrests four in connection to wave of deadly violence

Fact-finding committee says no one is above law and perpetrators will be brought to justice

A member of Syrian security forces checks a vehicle in Latakia on Tuesday after days of deadly violence in the coastal province. Reuters

Syria's Interior Ministry on Tuesday said four people were arrested on charges of committing "illegal and bloody" violations against civilians in the coastal region, where hundreds of people have been killed in attacks by armed groups in recent days.

The four men were referred to the military judiciary, state news agency Sana reported, citing the ministry. More than 1,300 people, including 973 civilians, mostly Alawites, have been killed since Thursday in a wave of sectarian killings in areas along Syria's Mediterranean coast, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor based in the UK. The watchdog said “killings and field executions” were recorded in Tartus, Banias and areas of Latakia.

The violence in the coastal heartland of the Alawite community, to which ousted president Bashar Al Assad belongs, broke out after gunmen loyal to him attacked Syria's new security forces. On Monday, Syria's pro-government troops announced the end of the large-scale offensive in coastal areas but said they would continue chasing remnants of the Assad regime.

Syria's interim President Ahmad Al Shara pledged in a video released on Sunday that his government would hold anyone involved in the killing of civilians accountable. The presidency announced an “independent committee” had been formed to “investigate the violations against civilians and identify those responsible for them”.

The investigating committee, comprising five judges, a criminal security officer and a lawyer, on Tuesday said no one was above the law and that it would ask prosecutors to arrest any perpetrators and bring them to justice.

"The new Syria is determined to enshrine justice and the rule of law, protect the rights and freedom of its citizens, prevent unlawful revenge and guarantee that there is no impunity," committee spokesman Yasser Al Farhan said at a press conference in Damascus.

Mr Al Farhan said the committee would hear witness accounts and set up mechanisms for people to contact the investigators. It would also gather and verify video evidence, and submit its finding to the presidency and judiciary.

The committee is seeking to finalise the investigations within 30 days and is open to international co-operation, he said.

The UN Human Rights Office said it had documented "summary executions" that appeared "to have been carried out on a sectarian basis".

"In a number of extremely disturbing instances, entire families – including women, children and individuals hors de combat – were killed, with predominantly Alawite cities and villages targeted in particular," UN human rights office spokesman Thameen Al Kheetan said, using a French term for those incapable of fighting.

Since Mr Al Assad was toppled in December, Syria's coastal region has witnessed a number of security sweeps in which killings of members of the Alawite community have been reported, as well as some casualties among government forces.