Amnesty says Syria govt forces, allies behind 46 Druze 'executions'
Amnesty International said Tuesday it had evidence of Syrian government personnel and affiliated fighters executing 46 members of the Druze minority during sectarian violence in July and demanded those responsible be held to account.
The bloodshed erupted on July 13 with clashes between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin but rapidly escalated, drawing in government forces and tribal fighters from other parts of Syria.
Syrian authorities have said their forces intervened to stop the clashes, but witnesses, Druze factions and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights have accused them of siding with the Bedouin and committing abuses against the Druze.
The Observatory has put the overall death toll at more than 2,000, including 789 Druze civilians "summarily executed by defense and interior ministry personnel".
Amnesty said it documented the "deliberate shooting and killing" of 46 Druze in Sweida city or on its outskirts on July 15 and 16.
"These executions by government and government-affiliated forces occurred in a public square, residential homes, a school, a hospital and a ceremonial hall," it said.
Amnesty said its evidence included "verified videos of armed men in security and military uniforms, some bearing official insignia, executing unarmed people".
It also said it had verified photographs, conducted weapons analyses and collected witness testimonies.
The human rights group said it had shared its preliminary findings with the interior and defense ministries but had not received a response.
- 'Fair proceedings' -
Responding to the Amnesty report on Tuesday, interior ministry spokesman Noureddine al-Baba said the government stood ready to "cooperate with any party that has documented proof" of transgressions in Sweida and urged them to share it with the official inquiry.
Authorities in July formed an investigating committee into the Sweida violence that is to present its findings within three months.
They also vowed accountability after the emergence of one of the videos verified by Amnesty, which showed the killing of an unarmed man in Sweida hospital.
At least four of the armed men in the verified videos wore a black patch associated with the Islamic State group, Amnesty said, with three of them filmed working beside security forces personnel.
IS has not claimed responsibility for attacks in Sweida.
After government forces left Sweida, an AFP photographer saw bodies on the street in the city center.
"When government security or military forces deliberately and unlawfully kill someone, or when affiliated forces do so with government complicity or acquiescence, that constitutes an extrajudicial execution," Amnesty's Syria researcher Diana Semaan said in the statement, noting it was "a crime under international law".
She urged authorities to "promptly, independently, impartially and transparently investigate these executions and hold perpetrators accountable in fair proceedings".
Amnesty noted it was also investigating "credible reports" of abductions carried out by Druze armed groups and Bedouin fighters.
Residents in Sweida have decried the poor humanitarian situation in the province following the clashes, with the road to Damascus cut off for more than a month and only reopening last week.
Source: Agence France Presse
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