Reuters: Documents expose Syrian regime’s establishment of Shabiha groups and their crimes

DARAMSUQ — Reuters news agency has uncovered seven documents revealing the Syrian regime’s establishment of shabiha groups, state sponsored mercenaries loyal to Assad family consisting of paramilitary militias comprising civilians, Baath Party members, and loyalists of the Syrian government, as well as their training and arming prior to the onset of the military conflict. These findings serve as a crucial step towards holding them accountable for the crimes and massacres they perpetrated against the Syrian people in collaboration with the regime.

The Committee for International Justice and Accountability (CIJA) has affirmed that the Syrian regime actively worked to form the shabiha groups.

In a report published on Tuesday, Reuters disclosed its acquisition of seven documents, in collaboration with CIJA, demonstrating that the highest levels of the Syrian government meticulously planned and organized the shabiha groups from the early stages of the peaceful movement against the regime in 2011.

These documents, dating back to 2011, reveal the establishment and arming of popular committees and covert agents operating within the security services, collectively known in Syria as shabiha. Their primary training focused on apprehending and sniping demonstrators who opposed the regime during the initial Syrian uprising.

The Reuters report sheds light on the massacres perpetrated by shabiha groups in Hmoth (Homs), Daramsuq (Damascus), and their surrounding regions. Subsequently, these groups were assimilated into entities such as the National Defense Militia, Ansar Military Security, and other shabiha forces associated with the Syrian Army, as designated by the regime.

Fadel Abdul Ghani, the head of the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), emphasized the significance of these vital documents in showcasing the shabiha members’ allegiance to the Syrian regime. This evidence serves as a crucial step towards their prosecution for the crimes committed against the Syrian people. Notably, there are several cases involving “universal jurisdiction” in countries such as the Netherlands, Sweden, France, and Germany, which possess legislation enabling the prosecution of war criminals, even if the crimes were committed outside their respective territories.