Syria’s government said late on Friday that it was “closely following” the findings of a new Amnesty International report urging an investigation into sectarian massacres last month.
In a report published on Thursday, Amnesty called on the Syrian government to ensure accountability for the massacres targeting the Alawite minority, saying they may constitute war crimes.
The government said in a statement that it had been studying the preliminary findings of the Amnesty report
"It is up to the Independent National Commission for Investigation and Fact-Finding to evaluate them, in accordance with the mandate, independence and broad powers granted to it by presidential decree," it said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor has said security forces and allied groups killed more than 1,700 civilians, mostly Alawites, during the violence.
The government said Amnesty's report failed to note "the broader context of the events".
It noted the violence began with a "premeditated assault" by the "remnants of the previous regime, targeting army and internal security personnel".
In the ensuing chaos, "acts of retaliation and serious violations occurred", it said, vowing that these would be investigated and a report issued within a month.
Most of those who were killed belong to the Alawite minority, the sect from which the ousted Assad family regime drew core support during its five-decade domination of the Sunni majority country.
Many from former president Bashar Al Assad's Alawite minority fear reprisals for his brutal rule. Last month saw the worst sectarian bloodshed since his overthrow, with massacres taking place largely in the Alawites' coastal heartland.
Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara has vowed to prosecute those behind the “bloodshed of civilians” and has set up a fact-finding committee.
Mr Al Shara's Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, which has its roots in the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda, led the offensive that toppled Mr Assad on December 8, and the new security forces are dominated by former Islamist rebels.
The Syrian authorities have accused former regime supporters of sparking the violence by attacking the new security forces.
