A military criminal court in Aleppo issued the first sentences handed down in connection with mass killings in coastal Syria last year, delivering a death sentence, a life sentence, and a 20-year prison term to three defendants.
According to state news outlet Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), two supporters of the deposed government were sentenced to death and life imprisonment respectively, while a former member of government forces received a 20-year prison sentence. A fourth defendant tried alongside them was acquitted.
The rulings mark the first judicial outcomes from a process launched in November 2025, when prosecutors formally charged 14 individuals for their alleged roles in the coastal violence. The Aleppo court held a series of public hearings to evaluate physical evidence and hear defense arguments prior to rendering Thursday’s judgments. Legal proceedings remain ongoing for the remaining defendants, with further verdicts expected next week.
The judicial actions follow widespread violence that swept Syria’s coastal regions in March 2025, during which hundreds of people from the Alawite religious minority—the community to which ousted President Bashar al-Assad belongs—were targeted and killed.
Investigations into the incidents yielded conflicting assessments regarding the systematic nature of the violence. The National Commission of Inquiry reported last year that it had verified the deaths of at least 1,426 people, predominantly civilians, and identified 298 suspects connected to the atrocities. The commission’s findings also detailed that 238 members of the security forces and army were killed in violent clashes and attacks attributed to Assad loyalists. The domestic commission characterized the violations as individual and indiscriminate acts rather than an organized or central campaign.
In contrast, an independent investigation conducted by the United Nations concluded that the violence directed against civilians by government-aligned factions was “widespread and systematic.” According to the UN commission report, armed groups conducted targeted raids on homes in majority-Alawite communities, demanding residents identify themselves as Sunni or Alawite before separating and executing Alawite men and boys.
Sources
[Al Jazeera News](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/17/syrian-court-sentences-three-linked-to-coastal-violence?traffic_source=rss)
Source: Al Jazeera News
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Story synopsis gathered from: Al Jazeera News — source
