UN Commission Calls for Protection of Alawite Minority and Places of Worship in Syria
Paulo Pinheiro urges Syrian authorities to take concrete measures to end violence against the Alawite sect and ensure protection of places of worship.
The head of a UN investigative commission has called the commitments made by the new authorities in Syria to protect the rights of minorities 'encouraging,' but noted that attacks have continued on members of the Alawite sect since a major outbreak of sectarian violence on Syria's coast.
Paulo Pinheiro, the head of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria, stated that the current Syrian government has given his team 'unfettered access' to the coast and to witnesses of the violence and victims' families.Disturbingly, reports continue to circulate of ongoing killings and arbitrary arrests of members of the Alawite community, as well as the confiscation of property from those who fled during the March violence.
Pinheiro's commission has also documented abductions by unknown individuals of at least six Alawite women this spring in several Syrian governorates, with two still missing.
The commission has received 'credible reports' of more abductions.In addition to these incidents, Pinheiro called on authorities to put in place more protections for places of worship following a suicide bombing attack on a church outside of Damascus that killed at least 25 people and injured dozens more.
This marked the first such attack in the Syrian capital in years.
The Syrian government has stated that the perpetrators belonged to a cell of the Daesh group, and that they thwarted a subsequent attempt to target a Shiite shrine in the Sayyida Zeinab suburb.Pinheiro emphasized that attacks on places of worship are 'outrageous and unacceptable,' urging authorities to ensure protection for these locations as well as threatened communities.
He also called for accountability for perpetrators and enablers of such crimes.In December, Assad was deposed after a rebel offensive brought an end to nearly 14 years of civil war.
The March violence targeted the Alawite minority, with hundreds of civilians killed in revenge attacks after clashes between pro-Assad armed groups and new government security forces on the Syrian coast.
Pinheiro's commission had previously documented scattered 'revenge attacks' prior to this, including killings in several villages in Hama and Homs provinces in late January.Pinheiro praised the interim government's formation of a body tasked with investigating the coastal attacks, noting that government officials had informed his team of the arrest of 'dozens of alleged perpetrators.' He called for the implementation of 'concrete policies' to end Syria's cycles of violence and revenge, as tensions and sectarian divisions are heightened in the country.
Paulo Pinheiro, the head of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria, stated that the current Syrian government has given his team 'unfettered access' to the coast and to witnesses of the violence and victims' families.Disturbingly, reports continue to circulate of ongoing killings and arbitrary arrests of members of the Alawite community, as well as the confiscation of property from those who fled during the March violence.
Pinheiro's commission has also documented abductions by unknown individuals of at least six Alawite women this spring in several Syrian governorates, with two still missing.
The commission has received 'credible reports' of more abductions.In addition to these incidents, Pinheiro called on authorities to put in place more protections for places of worship following a suicide bombing attack on a church outside of Damascus that killed at least 25 people and injured dozens more.
This marked the first such attack in the Syrian capital in years.
The Syrian government has stated that the perpetrators belonged to a cell of the Daesh group, and that they thwarted a subsequent attempt to target a Shiite shrine in the Sayyida Zeinab suburb.Pinheiro emphasized that attacks on places of worship are 'outrageous and unacceptable,' urging authorities to ensure protection for these locations as well as threatened communities.
He also called for accountability for perpetrators and enablers of such crimes.In December, Assad was deposed after a rebel offensive brought an end to nearly 14 years of civil war.
The March violence targeted the Alawite minority, with hundreds of civilians killed in revenge attacks after clashes between pro-Assad armed groups and new government security forces on the Syrian coast.
Pinheiro's commission had previously documented scattered 'revenge attacks' prior to this, including killings in several villages in Hama and Homs provinces in late January.Pinheiro praised the interim government's formation of a body tasked with investigating the coastal attacks, noting that government officials had informed his team of the arrest of 'dozens of alleged perpetrators.' He called for the implementation of 'concrete policies' to end Syria's cycles of violence and revenge, as tensions and sectarian divisions are heightened in the country.