The charred remains of at least 26 victims of the former Bashar Assad government were discovered in two separate basements in rural Damascus by Syrian civil defense workers. The remains, believed to include men, women, and children, showed evidence of gunshot wounds and burning.
The White Helmets, a volunteer civil defense group, exhumed the fragmented skeletal remains from the basements of two properties in the town of Sbeneh, southwest of the capital. Since late November, over 780 bodies, most unidentified, have been found in shallow graves by the White Helmets.
The bodies are being transferred to forensics doctors for identification, determining the time and cause of death, and potentially matching them with family members. This process is expected to take years due to the scale of the task.
Residents who discovered the bodies in the basements expressed fear of government reprisals and chose not to report the findings. The Assad government, known for employing airstrikes, torture, executions, and mass imprisonment during the civil war, is believed to be responsible for these atrocities.
The United Nations Syria Commission of Inquiry highlighted the importance of mass graves as evidence to uncover the fate of missing detainees. The report detailed brutal torture methods used by the former government, including beatings, electric shocks, burning, rape, and psychological torture.
With Assad's fall in December, families have been searching prisons and morgues for missing loved ones. While some have been freed, thousands remain missing. The U.N. commission emphasized the significance of forensic exhumations and safeguarding evidence to provide closure to grieving families.
For Syrians seeking answers about their missing relatives, the evidence from mass graves and testimonies of freed detainees offer hope in uncovering the truth.
