More than 1,000 Syrians have reportedly died at the Mezzeh Military Airport on the outskirts of Damascus, as revealed by harrowing accounts of execution, torture, and maltreatment documented by the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC). The findings come from a report shared exclusively with Reuters, detailing the locations of seven suspected grave sites linked to the military facility.
Utilizing witness testimonies, satellite imagery, and assorted documented evidence gathered from the airport, SJAC has pinpointed some burial locations on the grounds of the airport and other areas across Damascus.
Although Reuters could not independently verify the existence of these graves through its satellite imagery analysis, the organization’s reporters noted signs of disturbed earth across many of the sites mentioned. Two significant locations—one inside the Mezzeh airport and another at Najha cemetery—exhibited clear evidence of long ditches consistent with the timeframe described by witnesses.
Among the report’s contributors is Shadi Haroun, who himself was imprisoned at Mezzeh during the early years of the uprising. Detained from 2011 to 2012 for organizing protests, Haroun recounted the daily realities of enduring physical and psychological torture intended to extract false confessions. “Death came in many forms,” he said, emphasizing the omnipresent fear within the confines of the prison.
According to Haroun, detainees were confined to their cells and interrogation rooms, cut off from the outside world, yet could often hear distinct signs of violence—“occasional shootings, shot by shot, every couple of days.” He recounted his cellmate’s painful ordeal, noting, “A small wound on the foot of one of the detainees, caused by the whipping he received during torture, was left unsterilized or untreated for days, which gradually turned gangrenous, to the point of amputation.”
The analysis conducted by SJAC has involved interviewing 156 survivors and eight former members of air force intelligence—Syria’s security branch primarily tasked with monitoring and silencing dissent. They aim to shed light on the long-standing mechanism of enforced disappearances orchestrated by the Assad regime, which has resulted in over 100,000 missing persons.
A colonel from the new government’s Interior Ministry, who chose to remain anonymous and used the alias Abu Baker, corroborated these accounts. He expressed no surprise at the confirmation of the graves, stating, “We know there are more than 100,000 missing people who didn’t make it out during recent attempts to liberate areas surrounding Damascus.” He added, “Uncovering the fate of these missing individuals and locating additional graves should be one of the greatest legacies left by the Assad administration.”
Since the beginning of the conflict, hundreds of thousands of Syrians are believed to have lost their lives as the Assad-led regime’s crackdown on dissent intensified. Both Bashar al-Assad and his predecessor, Hafez al-Assad, have been accused by rights groups and international bodies of extrajudicial killings and horrific human rights violations.
The report focuses on the initial years of the uprising, spanning 2011 to 2017. Yet, testimonies from former regime officials reveal the extent and depth of repression surrounding the Mezzeh military airport, emphasizing the facility's significant role within the overarching framework of enforced disappearance.
According to the report, the Mezzeh military airport served as holding grounds for at least 29,000 detainees during the period reviewed. By 2020, enormous adaptations were made by air force intelligence converting various infrastructure elements within the airport for use as prisons.
SJAC's estimation of deaths at the site footballs from two datasets leaked from within the regime at the height of its collapse, tallying 1,154 detainees who perished under their enforced captivity from 2011 to 2017. This figure, it is important to note, does not account for those executed under military field courts.
Eyewitness accounts within the report confirm outward displays of brutality, as officers and soldiers were executed via firing squad, with civilians meeting their demise by hanging. Alarming testimonies revealed the burial practices prevalent where victims were laid to rest near the hangars.
Last December, the US Justice Department initiated war crimes charges against two high-ranking air force intelligence officers pertaining to torture and severe human rights abuses against those detained at the Mezzeh Military Airport. These revelations only deepen the urgency for accountability and recognition of the appalling acts committed during the Syrian conflict.
The findings laid out by the SJAC demand immediate attention and acknowledgment from the international community, illustrating the prolonged suffering endured by many within the Syrian prison system. A comprehensive exploration of these historical violations should promote action seeking justice for the countless victims and families still yearning for answers.