Mass graves of Syrian regime detainees identified, says The New York Times report

DARAMSUQ — Last week,  The New York Times published an investigation and photos of two mass graves containing the bodies of thousands of Syrian detainees killed in the prisons of the Syrian Ba’ath regime headed by Bashar al-Assad.

Founder of the Association of Sednaya Prison Detainees and Missing Persons Diab Sriyah told Enab Baladi that the investigation was based on satellite imagery and interviews conducted with four Syrians who worked on the secret mass graves. Sriyah added that the Association has information about five mass graves, including the two mentioned in the report. The other three were not mentioned in the report due to insufficient information and evidence.

The New York Times said that it is impossible to count and identify the bodies without exhuming the graves. “The importance of revealing the mass graves lies in drawing attention to the crimes and violations committed by the Syrian regime in the country,” the newspaper stated.

Syrians for Truth and Justice stated that the General Intelligence Department of the Syrian regime handed over to the mayor of Deir al-Asafir, in the countryside of Daramsuq (Damascus), a list of 46 detainees who died in the prisons of the Syrian regime. The detainees were arrested by the Security Apparatus in 2018 when they took control of the Eastern Ghouta Region.

The Damascus Countryside Reporters Network reported that all names on the list are of detainees who were executed in Sednaya Military Prison, including five Palestinian-Syrian detainees.

The Syrian regime is silent about the vast death toll inside its prisons, including those who lose their lives under torture, starvation, disease, or executions carried out behind bars by its Security Apparatus.