Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro highlighted the establishment of the National Transitional Authority and the National Authority for Missing Persons which are expected to help reveal the fate of the more than 100,000 Syrians estimated to have been forcibly disappeared or gone missing.

They are also expected to expose the truth about systematic violations like arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment, and about widespread attacks which killed hundreds of thousands of civilians and maimed millions during hostilities.

Syria continues along the path to transition following the overthrow of the Assad regime last December.

Wave of retaliatory attacks

Mr. Pinheiro said the security vacuum left after the dismissal of the armed forces and security services, together with a lack of clarity on the new framework for justice, contributed to an atmosphere where victims of past crimes and violations attempted to take the law into their own hands and settle scores.

Retaliatory attacks that took place in coastal areas in March, and on a smaller scale in other parts of the country, were “in part a response to five decades of systematic crimes perpetrated by security forces with impunity which affected all Syrians,” he said.

“More recently, sectarian fault lines have also been fuelled by widespread hate speech and incitement against Alawis, off and online, including posts with false information reportedly often originating from abroad.”

Eyewitness accounts

The Commission conducted its latest visit to Syria last week and travelled to several locations on the coast where killings and looting had occurred.  The team met with several civil and security authorities, as well as eyewitnesses and victims’ families.

“First-hand accounts by survivors of these events…revealed in detail how residential areas were raided by large groups of armed men, many of them members of factions now affiliated with the State. They told us how the assailants detained, ill-treated and executed Alawis,” he said.

He acknowledged the interim authorities’ establishment of a National Inquiry to investigate the violations as well as an additional High-Level Committee to Maintain Civil Peace.  Furthermore, dozens of alleged perpetrators have been arrested.

“Protection of civilians is essential to prevent further violations and crimes,” he said. 

“We welcome the commitment of President (Ahmed) al-Sharaa to hold those responsible accountable to restore confidence for State institutions amongst the affected communities.”

He also pointed to a deadly attack on a Greek Orthodox church in Damascus last Sunday, saying the authorities must ensure the protection of places of worship and threatened communities, and perpetrators and enablers must be held accountable.

Foreign intervention

Mr. Pinheiro told the Council that “the Syrian conflict has had no shortage of internal challenges and grievances, many of which were made worse by foreign interventions.”

In recent weeks, Israel has carried out a wave of airstrikes in and around Damascus, including near the presidential palace. Military bases and weapons depots in Daraa, Hama, Tartous and Latakia have also been targeted as part of its sustained military campaign in Syria. Several civilians were killed.

Civilian casualties were also reported in the context of Israeli operations in the buffer zone in Quneitra and southwestern Daraa monitored by the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF)

“These actions raise serious concerns of violations of international human rights and humanitarian law as UN Secretary-General (António) Guterres further stated recently,” he said.

Millions in need 

Mr. Pinheiro reported that more than two million Syrians have returned home since December, including nearly 600,000 from neighbouring countries and just under 1.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs).

“For many of the over seven million Syrians who remain displaced, massive property-related challenges will need to be tackled in the wake of industrial-scale destruction, pillage and confiscation of homes and lands,” he said.

Moreover, he noted that “despite the recent encouraging steps towards lifting of sectoral sanctions and opening the country to new investments, nearly 16.5 million Syrians remain in need of humanitarian assistance.” Among them are nearly three million people facing severe food insecurity.

Mr. Pinheiro concluded his remarks, saying “the interim authorities’ repeated commitments to protect the rights of everyone and all communities in Syria without discrimination of any kind are encouraging” and “should be met with the necessary support from the international community.”

About the Commission

The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic was by the Human Rights Council in August 2011 with a mandate to investigate all alleged violations of international human rights law since March 2011.

The members are Mr. Pinheiro and Commissioners Hanny Megally and Lynn Welchman.

They are not UN staff and do not receive any payment for their work.