Report
Murders in Syria are ‘normal’ acts of ravenge, government says
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, armed gunmen killed 10 residents in the Alawite town of Arza, northwest of Hama. The Department of Military Operations is turning a blind eye.
The latest incident of sectarian violence in the “new Syria” took place on Friday in the Alawite town of Arza, northwest of Hama. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, armed gunmen killed 10 residents. Human rights groups and residents report executions, arbitrary arrests, torture, looting and acts of public humiliation, especially in Homs province and along the coast.
A few days ago, in the Alawite village of Fahel near Homs, there were reportedly 16 dead, with seven others missing, and houses were looted. On the same day, Maryamin, inhabited by Alawites and the Murshidi religious community, was attacked: the men were publicly humiliated, assaulted and beaten; four died.
The scenario invoked by the authorities (such as the governor of Homs) is that these are “criminal groups impersonating security personnel” engaged in operations to find wanted persons and weapons. They are promising the perpetrators will be punished. However, the Department of Military Operations is turning a blind eye, to say the least.
Furthermore, according to a source quoted by the Lebanese website The Cradle, Syria's newly appointed president Ahmed al-Sharaa reportedly called these acts “normal” and legitimate acts of revenge, that would continue for two or three years.
On the political front, the dissolution of existing political parties by the de facto government, with a ban on reforming them under new names, prompted protests from the Syrian Communist Party and the Unified Syrian Communist Party, which were part of the Progressive National Front targeted by the ban. The former spoke out in the strongest of terms, perhaps made easier by the fact that its members are now almost all abroad: they pointed out that the abolition of the 2012 Constitution and the dissolution of the Parliament and political parties came after the “dictatorial government under Turkish mandate” had held “meetings with representatives of imperialist countries and reactionary Arab regimes.”
Denouncing “the shadowy clique that has come to power, which has laid off tens of thousands of public workers and is discriminating against citizens on the basis of affiliation and beliefs” and ongoing human rights violations, the statement stresses that the century-old party will not submit and will continue its struggle “in defense of the popular masses and for the independence of the homeland,” seeking alliances with other forces.
The Unified Communist Party struck a more diplomatic tone, calling for “repealing a decision that does not contribute to the unity of Syrians.” It recalled that in 2011, the party “was in favor of meeting the popular political, economic and social demands,” calling for a political and peaceful solution. The Union of Syrian Democratic Youth, the party's youth branch, pointed out that when open warfare broke out, the communists had called on Syrians to “protect the country from civil war, foreign intervention and colonialist partition.”
Originally published at https://ilmanifesto.it/siria-dieci-alauiti-giustiziati-ad-hama-al-sharaa-normali-atti-di-vendetta on 2025-02-02