ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Syria on Tuesday held the first public trials for individuals accused of involvement in March’s deadly clashes in the Alawite-majority coastal areas, state media reported.

In March, violent clashes broke out between Syrian security forces and loyalists of the toppled Bashar al-Assad in the western coast of Syria, killing at least 1,400 people, mostly Alawite civilians.

Syrian state media said that 14 people were brought on trial for the violent clashes after a lengthy investigation by the government. The investigative commission referred 563 suspects to the court, consisting of 265 Assad loyalists and 298 other violators.

“A great effort was made by the Ministries of Justice, Interior, and Defense, the Judicial Institution, and the Judicial Police to reach this result. We are aware of the enormity and complexity of the file, and what it requires in terms of accuracy and scrutiny in legal attribution, criminalization, prosecution, arrest, and other details,”  head of the commission Jumaa al-Anzi said.

The defendants include “detainees on charges of inciting sectarian strife, theft, and assaulting the internal security forces and the Syrian Arab Army,” said state media.

The new Syrian government has been repeatedly criticized by minorities for failing to protect them as the country has frequently fallen into sectarian violence since they took power.

“It is of particular concern to us [the commission], as we see the commission’s outputs actually being implemented on the ground to prove to the Syrians first, and then to the international community, that we are living in the new Syria that respects justice and applies the law,” Anzi added.

In July, the commission issued a report on the events which explained that remnants of the Assad regime targeted the army headquarters and checkpoints killing 238 security and army personnel in the Latakia, Tartous, and Hama provinces.

Following months of investigation, the commission said it identified 265 suspects tied to the Assad loyalists who were involved in sectarian insults, armed robbery, torture, murder, mutilation of bodies, inciting sectarian strife, and attempting to undermine Syria’s sovereignty.

Anzi said the investigation also led to the names of 298 others who allegedly committed violations during the clashes.

Given the gravity of the violence and the number of suspects, it is unclear for how long the trials will continue.

A UN investigation into the event found that the targeting of civilians by Damascus-aligned forces was “widespread and systematic.”

According to the UN, homes in the coastal area were raided and when they were asked whether they were Sunni or Alawite, “Alawite men and boys were then taken away to be executed.”