Syrian court sentences three over 2025 coastal mass killings

A Syrian military criminal court has sentenced three men over their roles in mass killings along Syria’s coast in March 2025, in the first major test of the new government’s efforts to hold perpetrators accountable for the violence. Two of those sentenced were affiliated with the former Bashar al-Assad regime, while the third was linked to government forces; a fourth defendant was acquitted for lack of evidence. One former regime loyalist received a life sentence for looting and involvement in an illegal armed group, while another was sentenced to death for killing two people and given a life sentence for other offences including looting and inciting violence. A fighter affiliated with government forces received a 20-year sentence for murder. The violence began with fighting between former regime-affiliated fighters and government security forces on March 6, 2025, and escalated into mass killings in which more than 1,400 people were killed, most of them Alawite civilians, according to the UN, rights groups and the government’s own investigation. The trials began in November 2025 following a government investigation, with more verdicts expected. Al Jazeera’s Obeida Hitto reports from Aleppo. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X: https://X.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.news/AJEMobile #Syria #SyriaCoastalKillings #SyriaWar #SyriaJustice #Accountability #AlawiteCivilians #AssadRegime #SyrianCoast #SyriaCoastalViolence #Latakia #Tartous