Syria Forms Committee to Investigate Sweida Violence
The Syrian government has established a committee to investigate the recent violence in the southern province of Sweida, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people last month.
BEIRUT: Syria has pledged to investigate clashes in the southern province of Sweida that killed hundreds of people last month - the second major episode of sectarian violence since the ouster of longtime Syrian leader Bashar Assad.
In a decree dated July 31, justice minister Muzher Al-Wais said a committee of seven people, including judges, lawyers and a military official, would look into the circumstances leading to the "events in Sweida" within three months.
The committee's mission is to investigate reported attacks and abuses against civilians and refer anyone proven to have participated in such actions to the judiciary.
The violence in Sweida began on July 13 between tribal fighters and Druze factions.
Government forces were deployed to quell the fighting, but the bloodshed intensified, with Israel carrying out strikes on Syrian troops targeting the Druze.
The Druze are a minority offshoot of Islam with followers in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel.
Although predominantly Druze, Sweida province also hosts Sunni tribes, leading to longstanding tensions over land and resources.
A US-brokered truce eventually brought an end to nearly a week-long conflict that ravaged Sweida city and its surrounding towns.
In March, a similar incident occurred when hundreds of Alawite civilians were killed following the deployment of government-aligned forces to Syria's coastal areas in response to a deadly attack on new military units by militias still loyal to Assad, who belongs to the Alawite minority.
This event led to the establishment of a fact-finding committee that referred 298 individuals suspected of committing abuses against Alawites to the judiciary.
According to the committee's findings, there was no evidence of commanders ordering troops to commit violations, and 265 people were involved in the initial attack on government forces.
In a decree dated July 31, justice minister Muzher Al-Wais said a committee of seven people, including judges, lawyers and a military official, would look into the circumstances leading to the "events in Sweida" within three months.
The committee's mission is to investigate reported attacks and abuses against civilians and refer anyone proven to have participated in such actions to the judiciary.
The violence in Sweida began on July 13 between tribal fighters and Druze factions.
Government forces were deployed to quell the fighting, but the bloodshed intensified, with Israel carrying out strikes on Syrian troops targeting the Druze.
The Druze are a minority offshoot of Islam with followers in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel.
Although predominantly Druze, Sweida province also hosts Sunni tribes, leading to longstanding tensions over land and resources.
A US-brokered truce eventually brought an end to nearly a week-long conflict that ravaged Sweida city and its surrounding towns.
In March, a similar incident occurred when hundreds of Alawite civilians were killed following the deployment of government-aligned forces to Syria's coastal areas in response to a deadly attack on new military units by militias still loyal to Assad, who belongs to the Alawite minority.
This event led to the establishment of a fact-finding committee that referred 298 individuals suspected of committing abuses against Alawites to the judiciary.
According to the committee's findings, there was no evidence of commanders ordering troops to commit violations, and 265 people were involved in the initial attack on government forces.
