A new investigative report has revealed that more than 1,000 Syrians perished in detention at a military airport on the outskirts of Damascus, falling victim to execution, torture, or severe maltreatment. The report, set to be published on Thursday by the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC), traces these deaths to seven suspected grave sites.
Using a combination of witness testimonies, satellite imagery, and leaked documents, the report identified the graves, some located on the grounds of the Mezzeh military airport and others scattered across Damascus. While Reuters was unable to independently verify the mass graves, satellite images showed disturbed earth in several locations consistent with witness accounts.
Shadi Haroun, one of the report’s authors and a former detainee, described harrowing experiences of physical and psychological torture at the detention center. Held in 2011-2012 for participating in protests, he recounted hearing intermittent gunshots, witnessing untreated injuries that led to amputations, and enduring brutal interrogations aimed at extracting false confessions.
In collaboration with the Association for the Detained and Missing Persons in Sednaya Prison, SJAC gathered testimonies from 156 survivors and eight former members of Syria’s air force intelligence, a unit known for its role in detaining and eliminating regime critics. The Mezzeh facility alone reportedly held at least 29,000 detainees between 2011 and 2017, with many dying due to systematic abuse.
Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December, the new administration has imposed a decree barring former regime officials from speaking publicly. A colonel from the new Interior Ministry, identified by the alias Abu Baker, acknowledged the grim reality of mass disappearances. “We know that more than 100,000 people vanished in Assad’s prisons. Discovering their fate is one of the most painful legacies left behind by the regime,” he stated.
The report highlights that, by 2020, more than a dozen hangars, dormitories, and offices at Mezzeh had been converted into detention centers. Documents obtained by SJAC indicate that at least 1,154 detainees died at the site between 2011 and 2017, excluding those sentenced to death by military field courts and executed within the airport premises.
The findings come amid growing international scrutiny of war crimes committed during Syria’s brutal civil war. In December, the U.S. Justice Department unsealed charges against two Syrian air force intelligence officers, accusing them of crimes against detainees, including U.S. citizens, at the Mezzeh facility.
As efforts continue to uncover the full scale of atrocities, the report underscores the urgent need for accountability and justice for the countless victims of Syria’s former regime.