Euronews: Escalating violence on the Syrian coast… Reports documenting serious violations and calls for accountability

Reliable reports indicate an escalation in violations against civilians on the Syrian coast, amid worsening sectarian violence.

While international calls to halt these crimes are growing, horrific details of summary executions, forced displacement, and systematic killings are emerging, calling for urgent action to protect victims and the social fabric.

In an exclusive testimony to Euronews, a survivor from a village near the conflict zone recounted horrific details, confirming that residents live in a constant state of terror under the threat of armed factions affiliated with extremist organizations.

“There is no mother with a young son who doesn’t fear him leaving the house… There are girls who are missing, and their families announce their deaths, but the truth is that they are being held captive,” said the woman, who preferred to remain anonymous for security reasons.

The witness also described a tragic incident that occurred near her home, where three sisters were kidnapped from a family.

They were severely beaten before two of them were returned, while the third was returned lifeless and placed in front of her house.

She added that a ten-year-old boy was walking with his cousin when the two came across three bodies lying on the side of the road, a scene that has become a daily occurrence.

She also reiterated her call on the international community to protect the remaining families living through nightmares of murder and a sense of insecurity.

On March 31, the UK based, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored an escalation of violence on the Syrian coast, documenting the killing of 22 civilians, including two children, in operations carried out by unidentified gunmen in the provinces of Tartus, Homs, and Hama.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, some of these attacks were launched from security bases, amid direct sectarian slogans and a growing displacement of residents.

It also confirmed that the crimes targeted entire families and were accompanied by physical abuse and the burning of property belonging to the Alawite community.

A previous Euronews report on April 6 indicated that a month after the horrific massacre on the Syrian coast on March 7, 2025, which resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties, anger and grief still grip Syrian society.

According to statements from the Syrian presidency, the massacre was carried out by undisciplined factions, highlighting the danger of continued hate speech and sectarian incitement.

In this context, calls have escalated for the Grand Mufti to issue a fatwa prohibiting the killing of Syrians and calling for an end to the inflammatory rhetoric tearing apart the social fabric.

These calls have received widespread support from political and religious figures on social media, who demanded that the first fatwa issued by Dar al Iftaa be a ban on killing and incitement to violence.

They called on the international community to shoulder its moral and legal responsibilities by urgently intervening to protect civilians and prevent the escalation of sectarian tension.

For its part, Amnesty International confirmed in a report prepared on April 3 that Syrian government-affiliated militias committed massacres against Alawite civilians in the city of Baniyas and neighboring coastal areas, resulting in the deaths of more than 100 people, including children and women, in systematic sectarian killings.

According to the organization, survivor testimonies and documented photos revealed that victims were targeted after being asked about their sectarian affiliation, in a scene reminiscent of the worst episodes of sectarian violence in Syria.

Many families were also forced to bury their loved ones in mass graves, deepening their psychological wounds.

In this context, Amnesty International called on the new Syrian government to open an urgent investigation into these violations as war crimes, stressing the need to form an independent commission with broad powers to access witnesses and mass graves and ensure the protection of victims’ families.

The organization warned that the absence of justice could lead to a recurrence of the cycle of atrocities, emphasizing that achieving justice and reparations for victims is a prerequisite for establishing sustainable peace in Syria.

According to the latest report of the National Renewal Movement’s Monitoring and Documentation Committee, issued on March 26, 2025, systematic violations against the Alawite community continued between March 7 and 26, taking various forms such as field killings, kidnapping, torture to death, and forced displacement.

The report documents the escalation of crimes in Homs and its countryside, Hama, Latakia, Tartous, and Damascus, holding security forces and armed factions affiliated with the transitional government responsible for these violations, amid a complete lack of accountability.

The report also places these developments within the broader context of escalating sectarian violence since the fall of Bashar al Assad’s regime in December 2024, noting that this conflict has so far resulted in the deaths of more than 2,500 Alawite civilians and the disappearance of more than 20,000, in one of the worst waves of sectarian violence the country has witnessed.

In light of this reality, calls have been raised for urgent action to prevent the escalation of violations and protect civilians.

Human rights activists stress the need for the United Nations and the international community to take action to ensure legal accountability for perpetrators, as this is an essential step to maintaining social stability and preventing the country from sliding into further chaos.