Syria issues first convictions for 2025 Alaouite massacres

A Syrian military court has issued the first verdicts in the trial concerning the 2025 massacres of the Alaouite community on the country's coast. In a ruling delivered in Aleppo, a member of the Ministry of Defense was sentenced to 20 years in prison for intentional murder. Additionally, two supporters of the former Bashar al-Assad regime received sentences of death by hanging or life imprisonment. One defendant was acquitted.

The violence, which occurred following the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, resulted in significant loss of life. A national inquiry commission reported at least 1,426 deaths, primarily civilians, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimated the death toll at nearly 1,700, noting that the vast majority were members of the Alaouite minority.

The trial involves 14 accused individuals, with further judgments expected on September 24. The court noted that one of the death sentences was issued for aggression intended to provoke civil war and sectarian conflict.