35 executed by Syrian fighters in three days, war monitor says

Hannah Bond
Fighters associated with Syria’s new ruling leaders executed 35 individuals in 72 hours, mainly of former Assad-era officers, according to a war monitor, The Guardian via AFP reported on January 26th.
The new authorities had conducted multiple arrests in western Homs for unspecified “violations.” According to state news agency, Sana, the authorities on January 24th accused members of a “criminal group” of exploiting security sweeps to abuse residents while “posing as members of the security services.”
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said that most of those executed were old officers from the former Assad-led government, who had presented themselves to centres created by the new authorities.
The observatory also cited “mass arbitrary arrests, atrocious abuse, attacks against religious symbols, mutilations of corpses, summary and brutal executions targeting civilians.” It said this showed an “an unprecedented level of cruelty and violence.”
Civil Peace Group confirmed civilian victims in several Homs villages during security operations. It condemned the “unjustified violations,” which included the killing of unarmed men.
The Observatory reported that members of armed fighters involved in the security operations had carried out reprisals against the Alawite minority group. It alleged these groups exploited “the state of chaos, the proliferation of arms, and their ties to the new authorities.”
Since assuming power, the coalition has sought to reassure religious and ethnic minorities that their rights would be protected. However, the Alawite community has voiced concerns over potential retribution for alleged abuses during Assad’s rule.
The Guardian via AFP