Syria: Death Sentences and Prison Terms for Those Convicted of Involvement in 'Coastal Events'

Syrian courts have sentenced a defense ministry official to 20 years in prison for his involvement in the violence that erupted last year in the Sahel region, which claimed hundreds of lives. Meanwhile, two other defendants, loyalists to the Bashar al-Assad regime, were sentenced to death and life imprisonment, respectively.

The Sahel region witnessed violent incidents from March 6, 2025, over a three-day period. Authorities accused armed loyalists of ousted President Bashar al-Assad of instigating the violence by launching attacks that resulted in the deaths of dozens of their own members.

The trials began in November of that year in the northern city of Aleppo, involving 14 individuals: seven defendants accused of instigating the violence, including former military personnel from the Assad era, and seven members of the defense ministry affiliated with the current authorities.

The judiciary announced on Thursday sentences against four individuals, including three Assad loyalists and one defense ministry official, while the others will face trial sequentially.

Zakaria Bakkar, president of the Military Criminal Court, announced the death sentence for one defendant, convicting him of crimes including “assault aimed at inciting civil war and sectarian conflict, and participation in an armed gang intended to confront public security forces, resulting in the deaths of more than two people.” He convicted another defendant of “participation in an armed gang tasked with committing crimes of murder, theft, and looting,” sentencing him to life imprisonment. He also convicted a defense ministry official of “intentional murder,” sentencing him to 20 years in prison, with time spent in pretrial detention credited toward the sentence.