Syrian government systematically hides war crimes – Rights organization
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – Syrian Military Intelligence had a systematic and state-ordered practice of hiding evidence of war crimes and disappearing bodies of those killed in executions, a human rights organization announced.
Syrian Justice and Accountability Center (SJAC) uncovered, in a report, citing a combination of open-source and field documentation, evidence linking members of the 9th Division to the torture and summary execution of defected fighters and civilians in 2012.
The SJAC has obtained videos showing the Military Intelligence branch in al-Masmiyah, in Daraa, as well as members of the 9th Division’s 34th Armored Brigade disposing of the bodies of these victims.
“The perpetrators carefully film and photograph the whole process, covering the faces and hands of victims with gasoline before burning the bodies,” according to the source.
“The perpetrators destroy the bodies, along with the presence of high-ranking officials, suggest that this may reflect a broader practice of the Syrian government to destroy evidence of their crimes,” the source added.
SJAC’s investigators concluded that the bodies were transformed to other locations, in the middle of a remote area, to be burned and buried.
The videos showed the perpetrators haphazardly kicked the corpses into mass graves, displaying the humiliating and degrading treatment with which they treated dead victims.
The executions documented violations of the tenets of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and protections civilians have as non-combatants, according to the center.
In addition, “the desecration and inhumane treatment of the deceased contradicts the responsibilities of armed groups to maintain the dignity of human remains.”