Rights Groups: Syrian Authorities Fail to Show Transparency in Coastal Region Investigations
Welat TV – Erbil
Human Rights Watch, in coordination with several other rights organizations, has accused Syrian authorities of a lack of transparency regarding investigations into the March 2025 events in Syria’s coastal region.
In a joint report released Tuesday, September 23, 2025, Human Rights Watch, Syrians for Truth and Justice, and the Syrian Archive stated that the investigations have yet to clarify whether senior military and civilian leaders were scrutinized or what measures will be taken to hold those with command authority accountable.
The report detailed widespread violations by government forces and allied militias, including summary executions, mistreatment of detainees, and the deliberate destruction of civilian property.
The findings suggest the crimes were part of a centrally coordinated military operation overseen by Syria’s Ministry of Defense.
Failure to Prosecute Could Fuel Further Atrocities
Hiba Zayadin, senior Syria researcher at Human Rights Watch, said: “Government acknowledgment of the atrocities is a step forward, but it falls short of delivering justice for senior officials who enabled these crimes or failed to stop them.” Zayadin warned that failure to prosecute commanders who deployed or directed abusive forces risks paving the way for further revenge killings and atrocities in Syria.
The report urged Syrian authorities to publish their full investigation report, protect the identities of witnesses, and ensure due process for all accused individuals.
National Committee’s Findings
On July 22, the Syrian National Committee for Investigation and Fact-Finding into the Coastal Events presented a summary of its final report at a press conference in Damascus. It stated that at least 1,426 people were killed and that 298 suspects were referred to the judiciary.
While the committee’s findings confirmed the scale of atrocities committed against civilians — marking a departure from the climate of denial and impunity that prevailed under the Assad regime — the investigation stopped short of addressing deeper institutional failures, including the role of senior officials in enabling or failing to prevent mass abuses, the rights groups noted.
The March 2025 Coastal Violence
The coastal region witnessed heavy clashes on March 6, 2025, which the interim Syrian authorities said began after remnants of the former regime attacked convoys of the interim government’s General Security forces.
The Syrian Ministries of Defense and Interior subsequently launched a major security campaign, but widespread violations were reported — including massacres, arbitrary arrests, and looting of civilian property.
Read also: Human Rights Watch: A humanitarian catastrophe in Suwayda after days of clashes