A 56-page report by the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria concludes that war crimes were likely committed during sectarian violence on the country’s Mediterranean coast in March. Investigators, led by Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, documented systematic executions, torture, desecration of bodies and widespread looting that left about 1,400 people dead, most of them Alawite civilians. Based on more than 200 witness interviews and visits to three mass-grave sites, the commission found that both interim government forces and fighters loyal to Syria’s deposed President Bashar al-Assad participated in the killings. Perpetrators went door-to-door in Alawite villages, filmed some executions and abducted women and children; reports of kidnappings and arbitrary detentions continue. While the inquiry found no evidence that Syria’s new central authorities ordered the atrocities, it said the scale of violations demands criminal prosecutions and stronger safeguards to prevent a repeat. The commission is still examining incidents in Homs, Latakia and Tartus and urged Damascus to pursue all suspects regardless of rank or affiliation. Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani said the government “takes serious note” of the findings and will incorporate the U.N. recommendations into ongoing institutional reforms. U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack described the report as an important step toward establishing responsibility for one of the deadliest episodes since the fall of Assad last year.