Enab Baladi – Khaled al-Jeratli
The committee responsible for investigating events in the coastal region of Syria has not announced any results of its work to date, at a time when it is facing accusations of stalling and skepticism regarding the effectiveness of its work. The recent decision to extend its mandate issued by transitional Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on April 10 was the latest news regarding its activities.
The committee, which was formed by presidential decree in March, has faced numerous questions regarding the effectiveness of its activities, the obstacles in its path, and whether the prolonged investigation reflects administrative stagnation or the necessity of thoroughly understanding what happened and accurately identifying responsibilities.
The president’s decision to extend the committee’s work for an additional three months after the first deadline without announcing official results provoked mixed reactions, particularly on social media. Some considered it a form of “political stalling,” while experts believe that linking the investigation to a specific timeframe may not be accurate given the complexity of the circumstances and the security and administrative context within which the committee operates.
Challenges facing the committee
According to a statement from the presidency regarding the formation of the committee issued on March 9, the committee is tasked with:
Uncovering the causes, circumstances, and conditions that led to the events in the coastal region. Investigating the violations suffered by civilians and identifying those responsible. Investigating attacks on public institutions and security and military personnel and identifying those responsible. Referring anyone proven to be involved in perpetrating crimes and violations to the judiciary.All relevant government bodies are required to cooperate with the committee as necessary to fulfill its tasks, and the committee has the right to consult anyone it deems suitable to perform its duties, submitting its report to the presidency within a maximum of 30 days from the date the decision is issued.
Ahmad Qurabi, a researcher at the Syrian Dialogue Center, believes that “investigations of this type naturally require time, and cannot be subjected to a strict timeline,” adding that the report by Amnesty International issued on May 5 explicitly recommended that the committee be given sufficient time to complete its tasks, including field investigations, evidence gathering, and analysis of testimonies.
Qurabi added that in some cases, investigative committees may take a month, while in others, they may extend over several months, emphasizing that the fundamental issue lies in the transparency and fairness of the results, and the extent to which they are made public, rather than the duration of the investigation itself.
The researcher noted that the committee formed in response to bloody events that occurred in the coastal region over a period of several days faces several challenges, some related to institutional structure and others concerning the context of fieldwork.
He stated, “Some of the structures of certain sovereign institutions, such as the Ministries of Defense and Interior, remain incomplete, meaning a lack of complete databases or available investigative tools, which hampers quick access to decisive results.”
He added that what happened in the coastal region over three or four days included violations, but “what is the extent of these violations? What is their true magnitude? Were they systematic?” He pointed out that the authority itself acknowledged the occurrence of excesses, evidenced by the establishment of the committee, but these questions remain unanswered as the investigation committee resumes its work.
The researcher warned that there exists “a current within remnants of the previous regime” attempting to exaggerate and politicize the issue, exploiting discrepancies in casualty figures released by organizations such as the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), Amnesty International, and the United Nations.
Transparency as a key factor
Although the decision to establish the committee granted its members the right and authority to “consult anyone they see fit to perform their tasks,” the Syrians for Truth and Justice (STJ) organization, a human rights group, stated that it has not received any indications suggesting the committee’s willingness to cooperate with Syrian, international, and UN human rights organizations.
A report issued by the Syrian organization based in France stated that the lack of collaboration with the aforementioned entities could send messages implying that the committee “operates in isolation from any oversight by independent entities, which undermines its credibility.”
The report emphasized that the committee should rely on credible material evidence in its investigations, including interviewing the victims’ relatives, documenting their testimonies, and examining the evidence they present, to uncover any systematic patterns in acts of mass killings. It also recommended analyzing visual evidence unequivocally, such as recordings and photographs documenting massacres, using digital verification techniques to ensure data accuracy, and advised the committee to involve human rights organizations and consult specialists in this field.
Researcher Ahmad Qurabi told Enab Baladi that consulting international or UN organizations is not an end in itself, but rather a means to provide the committee with technical and expert support when necessary.
He added that the committee possesses legal, social, and medical expertise that qualifies it to reach results closer to reality, yet transparency remains the primary factor in building public trust.
Earlier, Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged for “the involvement of neutral international parties to help monitor the investigations in areas that have witnessed widespread unrest, especially in light of the absence of effective national accountability mechanisms.”
Qurabi concluded his statement by noting that what the committee requires is not to establish an ideal timeline for the investigation but to “ensure a clear and transparent working mechanism.”
He criticized what he described as “the lack of clear communication channels with the public,” emphasizing that the committee has yet to hold any press conferences explaining what has been accomplished, what remains, and how much time is needed.
He pointed out that it is premature to judge the committee’s findings before they are released, but the community has the right to be informed about the general trajectory of these investigations to ensure credibility and consistency with what has been reported in local and international reports.
How the committee works
Two days after its establishment, the committee appointed by al-Sharaa to investigate and verify facts regarding the events in the coastal region of Syria clarified its working mechanism during a press conference held in Damascus.
The committee’s spokesperson, lawyer Yasser al-Farhan, explained that the committee will develop a program to interview witnesses and anyone who can assist in the investigation, identify locations that need to be visited, and establish communication mechanisms with the committee, which will be announced soon.
Al-Farhan stated that the committee will be present on the ground, will listen to eyewitnesses, and will not limit itself to what is shared on social media through recorded clips.
He added that the committee will reveal the results of its investigations and will commit to maintaining the privacy of the witnesses, submitting these findings to the judiciary and the relevant courts.
On April 7, al-Farhan stated in comments to the Saudi newspaper Asharq al-Awsat that the committee “will not announce its results unless it reaches convictions supported by evidence in favor of fact determination, description of violations, and identification of suspects, which requires first analyzing all testimonies, examining them, drawing legal interpretations of the actions, and reaching specific conclusions and recommendations.”
Al-Farhan pointed out that the committee is meeting with local leaders and community figures from the coastal region in all its components, listening to them with interest, and discussing their narratives concerning the events.
As of the time of this report’s writing, the committee has not issued any results regarding the events in the coastal region of Syria.
Hundreds of fatalities within days
The Syrian Network for Human Rights documented the deaths of 803 individuals between March 6 and 8 in the provinces of Latakia, Tartus, and Hama.
The network reported that the violations occurred following attacks by what it termed “armed groups outside the state’s framework linked to the Assad regime,” which carried out coordinated assaults targeting security and military sites belonging to the Ministries of Defense and Interior.
These attacks prompted the government to launch extensive operations, which involved factions and foreign Islamist organizations formally affiliated with the Ministry of Defense, in addition to local groups of armed civilians, quickly escalating into fierce confrontations during which serious large-scale violations occurred.
According to the network, local factions and foreign Islamic organizations nominally affiliated with the Ministry of Defense played a significant role in committing violations, most of which bore a retaliatory and sectarian character.
Two months in, Coastal Investigation Committee yields no results amid accusations of deliberate delay Enab Baladi.
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