The first trial of more than a dozen suspects linked to last March’s deadly violence on Syria’s coast—an incident that left hundreds dead—opened on Tuesday at the Palace of Justice in Aleppo, northern Syria.
In an unusual move aimed at promoting transparency, the session was broadcast live on the state-run channel Al-Ikhbariya Al-Souriya.
The unrest began on 6 March last year when supporters of the ousted regime of Bashar al-Assad launched attacks on government security forces.
Reinforcements from the Ministries of Defence and Interior were deployed to contain the uprising, but pro-government militias and armed civilians soon joined the fray, dramatically escalating the conflict.
A national commission of inquiry reported that 1,426 people—mostly civilians—were killed, with many victims belonging to the Alawite sect, the religious community to which Assad belonged.
Government forces and allied militias have been accused of carrying out sectarian massacres, including the killing of entire families and summary executions.
Fourteen suspects appeared in court on Tuesday—seven supporters of the former regime, including ex-military personnel accused of attacking government forces, and seven members of forces loyal to the current authorities accused of premeditated murder.
“As this trial opens, the court remains sovereign and independent,” presiding judge Zakaria Bakkar said during the live broadcast.
According to the indictment, Assad loyalists face charges including sedition, incitement to civil war, attacks on law enforcement, murder, looting, and vandalism. Members of government forces are charged with premeditated murder.
Late last month, Syrian Justice Minister Mazhar al-Weiss reaffirmed the government’s commitment to conducting public trials for those involved in the violence on the coast and in the sectarian clashes that erupted in July in the Druze-majority province of Suweida.
The goal, he said, is to ensure transparency, accountability, and prevent “any party from escaping punishment.”
The next hearing for the Assad supporters is scheduled for 18 December, while the trial of government forces personnel will resume on 25 December.
The national commission revealed that it had identified 298 suspects implicated in serious violations and confirmed that 238 members of the security forces and army were killed in attacks attributed to Assad supporters.
The government later sent reinforcements estimated at 200,000 fighters to stabilize the region.
Local and international monitoring groups documented a wave of sectarian killings during the violence, reporting that government forces, allied armed groups, and armed civilians participated in massacres, including summary executions and attacks on families.
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