The Japan Times - Syria determined to 'prevent unlawful revenge' says fact-finding committee

A wave of violence broke out last Thursday, mainly in the Mediterranean heartland of the Alawite minority, the deadliest since longtime strongman Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December.

Security forces and allied groups have killed at least 1,225 civilians since Thursday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor.

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," it said.

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

Farhan said the committee was working on "gathering and reviewing evidence" related to the wave of violence.

He added the committee would "listen to the eyewitnesses" and establish mechanisms for people to contact the investigators, as well as gather and verify video evidence.

The findings will be submitted to the presidency and the judiciary, Farhan said.

In the coastal town of Jableh, a resident told AFP he had been terrorised by armed groups.

"More than 50 people from among my family and friends have been killed," he said, speaking anonymously for his safety. "They gathered bodies with bulldozers and buried them in mass graves."

The Observatory said that thousands of Alawite civilians from Jableh and the surrounding area had fled to Russia's Hmeimim airbase, since Friday.

The town's mayor, Amjad Sultan, told AFP he had visited the displaced to tell them that security forces were restoring control and "outside is now safe".

An AFP photographer saw groups of Alawites fleeing across a river into northern Lebanon.

- Seven arrests -

The presidency announced on Sunday that it was forming a committee to "investigate the violations against civilians and identify those responsible".

It said it would present its findings within 30 days and that those found responsible would be referred to the courts.

The violence began on Thursday, after the attempted arrest of a wanted suspect, with an attack by Assad loyalists on security forces spiralling into clashes.

The ensuing killings, mainly targeting members of Assad's Alawite minority, have been described as a massacre by the Observatory, local Christian leaders and US officials.

Farhan said the committee would investigate events that occurred between Thursday and Saturday.

The Britain-based Observatory, however, has reported more killings since, including on Monday.

The authorities have announced the arrest of at least seven individuals since Monday accused of having committed violations against civilians, according to SANA.

- 'Summary executions' -

"There are a huge number of people who have been suffering in Syria, in the coastal areas, for five days -- and this needs to stop," UN human rights office spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan told reporters.

"According to many testimonies collected by our office, perpetrators raided houses, asking residents whether they were Alawite or Sunni before proceeding to either kill or spare them accordingly. Some survivors told us that many men were shot dead in front of their families."

Human Rights Watch called on Syria's new authorities to ensure accountability for the mass killings.

"Syria's new leaders promised to break with the horrors of the past, but grave abuses on a staggering scale are being reported against predominantly Alawite Syrians in the coastal region and elsewhere in Syria," its deputy regional director Adam Coogle said.

"Government action to protect civilians and prosecute perpetrators of indiscriminate shootings, summary executions, and other grave crimes must be swift and unequivocal," he said.

The latest violence has marked the gravest threat to Syria's new authorities, calling into question their ability to govern following repeated vows that they would respect the country's various minorities.

The new authorities announced a surprise deal with the autonomous Kurdish administration in the northeast on Monday to integrate its forces into the state security apparatus -- a move analysts say benefits both sides at a critical juncture.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hailed the deal on Tuesday, saying Washington "welcomes" the agreement to "integrate the northeast into a unified Syria".

T.Kobayashi--JT