New Syrian regime executed 35 people in 3 days, war monitor accuses fighters of targeting pro-Assad officials

A month after taking over Syria, fighters affiliated with the country’s new leadership have carried out 35 executions in the last three days, raising concerns about human rights in the country. Most of these executions were of officers who were closer to now-deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. According to Syrian news outlet Sana, the authorities on Friday accused the members of a “criminal group” of taking advantage of the security sweep and committing atrocities against residents.

The authorities alleged that those who were arrested were trying to pose as “members of security services” to commit their crimes. On Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said that “these arrests follow grave violations and summary executions that had cost the lives of 35 people over the past 72 hours.”

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The war monitor also pointed out that the members of the religious minorities had also suffered “humiliation” at the hands of the rebel groups that are currently operating in the country. “Dozens of members of local armed groups under the control of the new Sunni Islamist coalition in power who participated in the security operations” in the Homs area “have been arrested," the British-based war monitor explained, citing an insider source.

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The war monitor argued that the groups “carried out reprisals and settled old scores with members of the Alawite minority to which Bashar al-Assad belongs, taking advantage of the state of chaos, the proliferation of arms and their ties to the new authorities”.

The observatory noted that there have been “mass arbitrary arrests, atrocious abuse, attacks against religious symbols, mutilations of corpses, summary and brutal executions targeting civilians”, accusing the fighters of showing “an unprecedented level of cruelty and violence”.

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While commenting on the matter, the Civil Peace Group mentioned that there have been civilians who have fallen victim to the multiple security sweeps in villages in Homs. The peace group went on to “condemned the unjustified violations” including the killing of unarmed men.

Soon after assuming power, the rebel group assured that they would protect the rights of the religious and ethnic minorities. However, Members of Assad’s Alawite minority have expressed fear of retaliation over abuses during his clan’s decades in power.

With inputs from AFP.