First trial of suspects in Syria’s coastal massacres begins

The first trial of more than a dozen suspects linked to massacres that left hundreds dead in Syria’s Alawite coastal heartland earlier in 2025 began on Nov 18, an AFP news agency journalist in the courtroom said.

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The massacres in March, which the authorities say broke out after attacks by supporters of ousted president Bashar al-Assad against their forces, left at least 1,426 people dead, most of them civilians, according to a national commission of inquiry.

Seven men, including former military personnel, accused of attacking government forces, and seven members of the forces loyal to the new Islamist authorities, appeared in court.