O
n Tuesday, November 18, Syria opened the trial of several people accused of carrying out massacres along the Syrian coast that targeted Alawite communities. However, the proceedings are nothing more than a show: both the judge and the defense were implicated in the massacres, ensuring neither impartiality nor independence for the justice system. This trial lacked both transparency and integrity, and no one would be fooled.
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Syria's trial over Alawite killings marks a break with the al-Assad era
I returned to Syria following the collapse of president Bashar al-Assad's regime, after more than 13 years in exile. I was deeply disappointed to find that the military formed by the new authorities consisted only of Islamist militias operating with impunity. Rumors circulated that the Alawites – a minority branch of Islam to which al-Assad belongs – had risen up against the new regime. Yet, when I found myself between Jableh and Latakia, along the coast, every Alawite I met told me they wanted to live in peace and safety.
