Syria court issues first verdicts over 2025 coastal violence
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – A Syrian military criminal court in Aleppo issued its first verdicts on Thursday against four people accused of involvement in violence on Syria’s coast in March 2025, including attacks that killed large numbers of Alawite civilians.
The court sentenced Hani Qablan to death by hanging after convicting him of charges including inciting civil war and sectarian fighting, arming and inciting killings, and belonging to an armed group whose actions resulted in multiple deaths, according to the court’s ruling.
The court sentenced Tahani Ahmad to life in prison after convicting him of belonging to an armed group involved in killings, looting and theft.
In a third ruling, Bassel al-Hassan was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being convicted of intentional killing.
The court acquitted Hassan Halibiya of charges related to inciting strife and civil war and belonging to an armed group, ordering his immediate release.
The verdicts are the first in a trial that began in November 2025 and involves allegations arising from the coastal violence, which erupted after attacks by armed men linked to the former regime on security forces on March 6, 2025.
The violence was followed by security operations and attacks across predominantly Alawite areas of Latakia and Tartus. Human Rights Watch documented summary executions, killings of civilians, looting and destruction of property, and said the Alawite community bore the brunt of the violence.
A UN communication also documented reports of large-scale summary executions, killings of entire families, forced displacement and destruction of Alawite homes during the violence.
In July 2025, Syria’s National Committee for Investigation and Fact-Finding said at least 1,426 people were killed in the coastal events and that 298 suspects had been referred to the judiciary. Human Rights Watch later said the violence killed at least 1,400 people, while a UN Commission of Inquiry found that violations by government-aligned forces and former-regime fighters may amount to war crimes.
The March violence followed coordinated attacks by armed men described by the authorities as loyalists of former President Bashar al-Assad, which killed at least 200 security personnel, according to Human Rights Watch. The subsequent violence against civilians prompted calls for accountability for perpetrators on all sides.