Syrian court hands down death sentence and jail terms for coastal sectarian violence

A Syrian military court delivered sentences on Thursday, including a death penalty, for those involved in violent sectarian clashes along the country's coastline. The Military Criminal Court found one defendant guilty of capital punishment, while another received a 25-year prison term and a third a 20-year sentence. The fourth defendant was cleared of all charges.

These verdicts marked the first in a trial that commenced in November, following the outbreak of violence in March 2025. The conflict resulted in the slaying of hundreds of members of the Alawite minority. The unrest escalated after forces loyal to former President Bashar Al Assad targeted army and security headquarters, as reported by Syria’s National Commission for Investigation and Fact-Finding in July 2025.

The commission's report detailed the March 6 attacks, which claimed the lives of 238 army personnel. Moreover, the commission documented violations against civilians in the subsequent days. Its findings suggested that the abuses were not carried out as part of a systematic pattern, but rather by individuals and small groups with diverse motivations.

This violence marked one of the worst outbreaks of bloodshed since the overthrow of President Ahmad Al Shara's regime in December 2024. Subsequent investigations by a Syrian fact-finding committee revealed that 1,426 people lost their lives during the turmoil, including victims of attacks on security forces and subsequent mass killings of Alawites.

UN investigators, in August of the same year, suggested that war crimes were likely committed by interim government forces and fighters allied with Syria’s former rulers.