Syria forms committee to investigate Sweida violence

 

Syria has pledged to investigate clashes in the southern province of Sweida which killed hundreds of people last month -the second major episode of sectarian violence since the ouster of longtime Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.

In a decree dated July 31, Justice Minister Muzher al-Wais said a committee of seven people — including judges, lawyers, and a military official — would investigate the circumstances that led to the “events in Sweida” and report back within three months.

The committee would investigate reported attacks and abuses against civilians and refer anyone proven to have participated in such attacks to the judiciary.