The United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Syria has welcomed recent promises by Syrian authorities to protect the rights of minorities, calling the move “encouraging.” However, the Commission also reported continued violence against the Alawite community. Paulo Pinheiro, Chair of the UN Commission, stated that the Syrian government has granted investigators “unrestricted access” to coastal areas affected by recent violence. “Despite this progress,” he said, “we continue to receive reports of killings, arbitrary arrests, and the confiscation of property belonging to Alawites who fled during the March violence.” Pinheiro noted that the Commission has documented the abduction of at least six Alawite women this spring by unidentified individuals—two of whom remain missing. He praised the Syrian government's formation of a special investigative committee to look into these incidents, citing official statements that “numerous suspected attackers” have already been arrested. In addition, Pinheiro condemned the recent Daesh (ISIS) attack on a church, describing it as a grave act of religious violence.