Syria issues death sentence in violence case — The National
Syria’s Military Criminal Court has issued a death sentence to one defendant in a case concerning deadly sectarian violence on the Syrian coast in March 2025. Another defendant was sentenced to 25 years in prison, a third to 20 years, and a fourth was acquitted, The National reports.
First verdicts in the case
These are the first verdicts in proceedings that began in November in connection with events on Syria’s coast. During the violence in March 2025, fighters supporting the government killed hundreds of members of the Alawite minority.
According to Syria’s National Commission for Investigation and Fact-Finding, the violence began after forces loyal to ousted president Bashar al-Assad attacked army and security forces headquarters. The commission said that 238 military personnel and security force members were killed in the attacks on March 6.
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Fatality figures
The commission also documented violations against civilians in the following days. It concluded that they were committed by individuals and small groups with different motives, rather than as part of a systematic practice.
Later, Syria’s fact-finding committee reported 1,426 deaths as a result of the violence, including from attacks on security personnel and subsequent mass killings of Alawites. UN investigators said in August 2025 that interim government forces and fighters loyal to Syria’s former authorities had likely committed war crimes.
