DAMASCUS, July 23 (AFP): Syria said on Tuesday that it had launched investigations into reported extrajudicial killings in the country's Druze heartland, promising to punish perpetrators including any government-affiliated personnel after a week of sectarian bloodshed.
The violence, which began on July 13 and ended with a weekend ceasefire, started with clashes between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin tribes but soon escalated, killing more than 1,300 people, mostly Druze, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor.
Witnesses, Druze factions and the Observatory have accused government forces of siding with the Bedouin and committing abuses including summary executions when they entered Sweida last week.
The interior ministry on Tuesday condemned "in the strongest terms the videos circulating showing field executions carried out by unidentified individuals in Sweida".
For days, brutal videos on social media have appeared to show the execution of people in civilian clothing.
"These acts are serious crimes punishable by law with most severe penalties," the ministry statement said.
Authorities "have begun an urgent investigation to identify those involved" and arrest them, it continued, adding that "nobody is above the law".
Syria launches probes into extrajudicial killings in Druze
FE Team | Published: July 23, 2025 21:46:10
Syria launches probes into extrajudicial killings in Druze
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