ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Syria’s judiciary on Thursday issued its first verdicts over the coastal massacres perpetrated against the Alawites in March last year, sentencing a former member of the Syrian forces to 20 years in prison and two alleged supporters of the ousted Baath regime to death and life imprisonment.

The sentence hearing was held by the Aleppo Military Criminal Court, more than a year following coastal massacres against the Alawite population that led to at least 1,400 deaths, most of them Alawite civilians.

“The sentences ranged from the death penalty and life imprisonment to a 20-year prison term, while the fourth defendant was acquitted and ordered to be released immediately,” Syrian state TV said, citing the judiciary.

A former member of the Syrian forces was sentenced to 20 years in prison on charges of “intentional homicide.”

Meanwhile, two of the suspects were accused of involvement in armed activities and murder, in affiliation with loyalists of ousted former President Bashar al-Assad, whose ambush killed 16 Syrian security personnel in early March 2025, triggering violent clashes with government forces that led to the massacres.

One of the convicts was sentenced to death, while the other received a life sentence, according to state TV.

The public trial for individuals accused of committing violations during the unrest in Syria’s western coast began on November 18, 2025 in Aleppo, with 14 people 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.

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.

Amnesty International, in a report on April 2025, called on the Syrian government to "ensure that the perpetrators of a wave of mass killings targeting Alawite civilians in coastal areas are held accountable," while urging that immediate measures be taken to ensure that sectarian actors do not pose a threat to anyone else.