Syria Justice and Accountability Centre in Washington reveals crimes of the Syrian regime against civilians and dissidents

WASHINGTON D.C. — On Monday, the Washington, D.C.-based Syria Justice and Accountability Centre revealed in a report the horrific crimes and violations committed by Syrian regime forces during the early years of the Syrian civil war. The report was based on video footage documenting executions carried out by regime forces, as well as the burning of bodies following the crimes.

The armed forces and security services of the Syrian regime adopted a systematic state policy to hide all evidence that proves its involvement in war crimes committed against Syrians during the past years, said the Centre, adding that the regime also deliberately conceals the identities of the victims.

The Centre explained that in preparing this report, it relied on field documentation and other open sources, as well as information provided by a Syrian media activist from the outskirts of Daramusq (Damascus), known as “al-Masdar”. He was in possession of video clips and photos showing Syrian regime forces executing detainees and dissidents and burning their bodies, said the Centre.

Al-Masdar also found video clips on a mobile phone and a laptop belonging to one of the groups affiliated with the Syrian regime forces after they were ambushed on the Shaqraniyah road in Druco (Daraa) by an armed opposition group. These documents reveal terrible violations committed by the regime forces and were filmed according to orders from security agencies for the purpose of authentication.

The report of the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre stated that the bodies of the executed victims were taken to remote areas to be burned in mass graves and then buried. There is evidence that members of the Ninth Division were involved in committing torture and field executions against civilians and dissident fighters in 2012 at the site near to Al-Sanamayn, Druco, according to the Centre.