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Syrian Minister of Justice Mazhar al-Wais announced that public trials related to the “coastal events” will begin soon, inviting media outlets to attend and cover the proceedings.
“There will be no impunity,” al-Wais told al-Mashhad TV on Wednesday, Oct. 29, emphasizing that accountability will apply to both “remnants” and those who committed violations against civilians.
He added that Syria had recently taken strict measures against individuals inciting sectarianism and said that “millions of fake accounts spreading rumors in Syria have been shut down.”
He also stated that al-Assad will be tried before a Syrian court and that new laws must be enacted to address war crimes.
"The goal is for Syrians to see with their own eyes that there will be no exceptions—not for the remnants, nor for those who committed violations against civilians in the coastal region," he stressed .
The “coastal events” broke out on March 6, following actions by members of the former regime’s army targeting General Security personnel in the countryside of Latakia in western Syria.
The events led to large-scale violations and killings of hundreds of civilians based on sectarian affiliations.
After the events, Syria’s interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, issued a decree forming an independent national fact-finding committee chaired by Judge Yasser al-Farhane to investigate the causes and subsequent violations.
The spokesperson for the National Independent Commission of Inquiry, Yasser al-Farhan, said that 298 people accused of attacks against civilians and 265 accused of attacks on General Security personnel have been referred to the judiciary.
Three leading rights organizations—Human Rights Watch, Syrians for Truth and Justice, and the Syrian Archive—released a joint report on Sept. 23 detailing the coastal events.
While the Syrian transitional government pledged accountability and investigations, the report noted that “transparency regarding the role of senior military and civilian leaders remains highly limited, with proceedings focusing on lower-level perpetrators rather than institutional or command responsibility.”
The Syrian Network for Human Rights documented the deaths of 1,334 people, including 60 children and 84 women, as a result of the events.
Al-Wais said that a Justice Ministry committee formed to investigate the “Sweida events” has detained several individuals involved and is gathering evidence to “reveal the truth.”
He affirmed that everyone responsible for violations against Syrians of all communities would be held accountable.
The committee has met with representatives of the Interior and Defense ministries, as well as with victims from all communities, and is expected to conclude its work soon.
The Sweida events began on July 12 after reciprocal kidnappings between residents of the al-Maqous neighborhood, mostly Bedouin, and members of the Druze community, escalating into armed clashes the following day.
Government forces intervened on July 14 to contain the conflict, but the intervention was accompanied by violations against Druze civilians, prompting a response from local factions, including groups previously cooperating with the Defense and Interior ministries.
On July 16, government forces withdrew from Sweida following Israeli airstrikes.
Retaliatory attacks followed against Bedouin residents, leading to the mobilization of armed tribal convoys to defend them.
Syria and Israel later reached a U.S.-brokered agreement to end military operations.
On Sept. 16, the Syrian Foreign Ministry announced a “roadmap” for resolving the Sweida crisis after a meeting in Damascus with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi and U.S. Envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack.
The “High Legal Committee in Sweida,” formed by Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, rejected the roadmap.
The governorate continues to witness security incidents amid mutual accusations, including an Oct. 28 attack on a passenger bus traveling from Damascus to Sweida that killed and wounded several civilians.
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