July 2025 \u2014 The Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM) has today released the English version of a comprehensive report documenting grave human rights violations and crimes committed in Syria\u2019s Coastal Region and Hama during March 2025.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The report reveals systematic patterns of sectarian violence that began with an organized attack by armed groups affiliated with the former Syrian regime. These violations include extrajudicial executions, arbitrary arrests, torture, destruction of civilian property, and forced displacement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These crimes mark a painful chapter in Syria\u2019s history of social fragmentation, sectarian division, and entrenched systematic violence rooted in decades of authoritarian rule that institutionalised sectarian and utilitarian loyalties and militarised society. Following the fall of the regime and the start of the transitional period, the political and security landscape in the coastal region was reshaped without meaningful participation from local communities. This coincided with a widespread campaign of dismissals affecting tens of thousands of public sector employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the absence of transparent justice and accountability mechanisms, this vacuum fueled heightened tensions, escalated sectarian rhetoric, and triggered waves of retaliatory violence. The Transitional Government failed to exercise effective control over local and allied forces, leading to serious violations driven by political and sectarian motives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The report documents the extrajudicial execution of 1,060 civilian victims across the governorates of Lattakia, Tartous, and Hama. It further notes that military operations were accompanied by arbitrary detention, torture, and inhumane and degrading treatment, including public humiliation, beatings, sectarian insults, and psychological and physical intimidation. Women and children were particularly targeted, facing threats of death and being terrorized with weapons pointed at their heads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Several witnesses reported that victims were often asked about their sect before being killed, indicating the sectarian nature of the abuses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The report names several armed factions suspected of involvement, including Suleiman Shah Brigade (Al-Amshat), Hamza Division, Army of Islam, Sultan Murad Division, and battalions formerly affiliated with Hay\u2019at Tahrir al-Sham (Battalion 400), in addition to groups from neighboring villages and foreign fighters. It also highlights the failure of the governmental response and the harassment of journalists attempting to report on these events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n