A UN investigative commission head, Paulo Pinheiro, affirmed Friday that while Syria's new authorities show "encouraging" minority protection commitments, attacks persist against the Alawite community. This follows a major sectarian violence outbreak on the Syrian coast months ago.
Pinheiro, leading the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria, reported to the Human Rights Council on "ongoing killings and arbitrary arrests of members of the Alawite community." His team gained "unfettered access" from the current government, led by former Islamist insurgents.
The commission has also "documented abductions by unknown individuals of at least six Alawite women" this spring, with two still missing. Property confiscation from those who fled the March violence remains a disturbing issue, alongside "credible reports of more abductions."
Pinheiro further implored authorities to enhance protections for places of worship. This plea comes after a suicide bombing on a Damascus-area church Sunday, killing at least 25, marking the capital's first such attack in years.
The Syrian government blamed a Daesh group cell for the church attack, claiming a thwarted subsequent plot on a Shiite shrine. Pinheiro condemned attacks on worship places as "outrageous and unacceptable," demanding accountability for perpetrators.
Assad's December ousting ended nearly 14 years of civil war. March saw hundreds of Alawites killed in revenge attacks. Pinheiro's commission also documented earlier "revenge attacks" where disarmed former soldiers were "ill-treated and executed."
Source: https://www.arabnews.com/node/2606076/middle-east