DAMASCUS, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- A Syrian military court on Thursday issued verdicts to four individuals over the deadly violence in the country's coastal region last year, imposing the death penalty in one case while acquitting another defendant, state news agency SANA reported.
The verdicts were issued by the Military Criminal Court in the northern city of Aleppo during a public hearing.
According to Syrian media, the defendant sentenced to death was convicted of offenses including acts aimed at inciting civil war and sectarian fighting and of participating in an armed group formed to confront security forces, resulting in the deaths of more than two people.
The second defendant received life imprisonment for participating in an armed group formed to commit murder, robbery, and looting.
The third, identified in local reports as a member of the defense department, was convicted of intentional killing and sentenced to 20 years, with pretrial detention counted toward the sentence.
The rulings stem from violence that erupted in Syria's predominantly Alawite coastal region in March 2025, when armed groups linked by authorities to remnants of the ousted government of Bashar al-Assad launched coordinated attacks against security and military positions, followed by several days of violence.
Public trials began at the Aleppo Palace of Justice on Nov. 18, 2025. 14 people have been tried in connection with the events, according to Syrian media. ■
