Violent clashes in March in Syria's coastal areas led to an outbreak of sectarian violence resulting in approximately 1,400 civilian deaths. United Nations investigators indicated that the interim government forces and pro-Assad fighters committed acts amounting to war crimes. The report unveiled documented cases of inhumane treatment, torture, and killings, particularly targeting Alawite communities. Violations included extrajudicial executions, and bodies were improperly buried or left exposed, causing overwhelming distress on local hospitals. The reports also mentioned that no clear governmental plan to carry out these brutal acts was found.
The scale and brutality of the violence documented in our report is deeply disturbing, said Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, chair of the commission, in a statement. Torture, killings and inhumane acts related to the treatment of the dead were documented by the UN team, which based its research on more than 200 interviews with victims and witnesses.
Alawite men were separated from women and children, then led away and killed, the report found. Bodies were left in the streets for days, with families prevented from conducting burials in accordance with religious rites.
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