A month after taking control of Syria, fighters allied with the new leadership executed 35 people in just three days. Most of those killed were officers loyal to the ousted president, Bashar al-Assad.
Accusations of Abuse
On Friday, Syrian news outlet Sana reported that authorities accused a “criminal group” of exploiting a security sweep to commit crimes against civilians. The authorities claimed that some of the arrested were posing as “members of security services” to carry out their actions.
Human Rights Violations
In addition, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 35 people were executed in the past 72 hours. Moreover, it highlighted that members of religious minorities faced “humiliation” at the hands of rebel groups. “Dozens of members of local armed groups” under the control of the new Sunni Islamist coalition were arrested, according to the observatory.
Settling Old Scores
Furthermore, the war monitor suggested that the new rebel groups targeted members of the Alawite minority, to which Assad belongs. They took advantage of the chaos, arms proliferation, and their ties to the new authorities to settle old scores.
Acts of Cruelty
The observatory also described “mass arbitrary arrests, abuse, attacks on religious symbols, mutilations of corpses, and brutal executions.” As a result, the fighters displayed “an unprecedented level of cruelty and violence.”
Civilians Caught in the Crossfire
Meanwhile, the Civil Peace Group condemned the violations. They reported that unarmed men in Homs were killed during security sweeps. The group also criticized the actions as unjustified.
Finally, despite promises to protect minorities, members of Assad’s Alawite community fear retaliation for their involvement during his rule.
