A fact-finding committee formed by Syria's new authorities to investigate a wave of deadly violence said on Tuesday the country was determined to "prevent unlawful revenge".
A wave of violence broke out last Thursday, mainly along the Mediterranean coast, the heartland of the Alawite minority, the worst since former president Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December.
Security forces and allied groups killed at least 1,093 civilians since Thursday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor.
The UN Human Rights Office on Tuesday said it had documented "summary executions" that appeared "to have been carried out on a sectarian basis".
"In a number of extremely disturbing instances, entire families — including women, children and individuals hors de combat — were killed, with predominantly Alawite cities and villages targeted in particular," it said.
At a press conference in Damascus, fact-finding committee spokesman Yasser al-Farhan said: "The new Syria is determined to enshrine justice and the rule of law, protect the rights and freedoms of its citizens, prevent unlawful revenge and guarantee that there is no impunity."
Farhan said the committee was working on "gathering and reviewing evidence" related to the wave of violence.
He added the committee would "listen to the eyewitnesses" and establish mechanisms for people to contact the investigators, as well as gather and verify video evidence.
The findings will be submitted to the presidency and the judiciary, Farhan said.
In Jableh in coastal Syria, a resident told AFP he had been terrorised by armed groups.
"More than 50 people from among my family and friends have been killed," he said, speaking anonymously for his safety. "They gathered bodies with bulldozers and buried them in mass graves."
The presidency announced on Sunday the formation of the committee to "investigate the violations against civilians and identify those responsible for them".
It said it would present its findings within 30 days and that those found to be responsible for violations would be referred to the judiciary.
The violence began on Thursday, after the attempted arrest of a wanted suspect, with an attack by Assad loyalists against security spiralling into clashes.
The ensuing killings, mainly targeting members of Assad's Alawite minority, have been described as a "massacre" by the Observatory, local Christian leaders and US officials.
Farhan said the committee would investigate events that occurred between Thursday and Saturday.
The Britain-based Observatory, however, has reported more killings since, including on Monday.
The authorities have announced the arrest of at least seven individuals since Monday accused of having committed violations against civilians, according to SANA.
Speaking to AFP, many residents said they had witnessed the killing of civilians during violent fighting and security sweeps in the area.
The Observatory and social media users shared footage showing bodies piled outside a house, and men in military garb shooting people at close range.
AFP could not independently verify the images.
"There is a huge number of people who have been suffering in Syria, in the coastal areas for five days -- and this needs to stop," UN human rights office spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan told a media briefing.
"According to many testimonies collected by our office, perpetrators raided houses, asking residents whether they were Alawite or Sunni before proceeding to either kill or spare them accordingly. Some survivors told us that many men were shot dead in front of their families."
UN rights commissioner Volker Turk has called for accountability for the deadly violence.
Human Rights Watch on Tuesday also called on Syria's new authorities to ensure accountability for the mass killings of hundreds of civilians in recent days in the coastal heartland of the Alawite minority.
"Syria's new leaders promised to break with the horrors of the past, but grave abuses on a staggering scale are being reported against predominantly Alawite Syrians in the coastal region and elsewhere in Syria," said HRW's deputy regional director Adam Coogle.
"Government action to protect civilians and prosecute perpetrators of indiscriminate shootings, summary executions, and other grave crimes must be swift and unequivocal," he said in a statement decrying the "coastal killing spree".
The latest violence has marked the gravest threat to Syria's new authorities, calling into question their ability to govern following repeated vows that they would respect the country's various minorities.
The new authorities on Monday announced a surprise deal with the autonomous Kurdish administration in the northeast to integrate its forces into the state security apparatus -- a move analysts say benefits both sides at a critical juncture.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ