Members of Syria's security and military services have been detained as part of an investigation into sectarian violence in the southern province of Sweida in July that left hundreds of people dead, investigators said on Sunday.
The head of the investigative committee, Judge Hatem Naasan, held a news conference in Damascus to report progress but did not release a death toll, stating that it would come in the final report expected by the end of the year.
In mid-July, armed groups affiliated with Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri clashed with local Bedouin clans, prompting government forces to intervene, effectively siding with the Bedouins. Hundreds of civilians, mostly Druze, were killed, many by government fighters.
Naasan said they have listened to witnesses and victims, and that members of security services and the military who were proven to have committed violations based on investigations and videos on social media have been detained. He did not say how many were held, adding that after questioning they were referred to judicial authorities.
Videos online showed armed men killing Druze civilians kneeling in public squares and shaving the moustaches off elderly men in an act of humiliation. Naasan downplayed the involvement of foreign fighters, saying some were detained and questioned but acted individually and were not members of Syrian forces.
After the violence, many in Sweida now want some form of autonomy in a federal system, while a smaller group calls for total partition. Most of the roughly one million Druze worldwide live in Syria.
