Syrian government says studying Amnesty International report on massacres

Syria’s government said late Friday it was “closely following” the findings of a new Amnesty International report urging an investigation into sectarian massacres last month.

Amnesty called on the Syrian government in a report on Thursday to ensure accountability for the massacres targeting the Alawite minority, saying they may constitute war crimes.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor has said security forces and allied groups killed more than 1,700 civilians, mostly Alawites, during the violence.

Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose opposition group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led the offensive that toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, has vowed to prosecute those responsible.

In a statement on Friday, the government said it had been “following closely the Amnesty report” and its “preliminary findings.”

“It is up to the Independent National Commission for Investigation and Fact-Finding to evaluate them, in accordance with the mandate, independence, and broad powers granted to it by presidential decree,” it said.

The Syrian authorities have accused armed al-Assad supporters of sparking the violence by attacking the new security forces.

The government on Friday complained the report failed to note “the broader context of the events.”

It said the violence began with a “premeditated assault” by the “remnants of the previous regime, targeting army and internal security personnel.”

In the ensuing chaos, “acts of retaliation and serious violations occurred,” it said, vowing that these would be investigated and a report issued within a month.