| Syrian mass graves | |
|---|---|
| Part ofWar crimes in the Syrian civil war | |
| Location | Damascus Governorate,Rif Dimashq Governorate,Southern Syria |
| Date | Throughout theAssad regime of bothHafez andBashar |
Attack type | War crimes, including torture and execution |
| Victims | >120,000 overall(estimated)[a] >100,000 in al-Qutayfah[1] "Several tens of thousands" in Najha[2] |
| Perpetrators |  Assad regime |
A number ofmass graves were uncovered after thefall of the Assad regime inDecember 2024. The primary site was located inal-Qutayfah, approximately 37 km (23 mi) north ofDamascus, with additional mass graves discovered throughout the southernDamascus countryside and insouthern Syria. The primary al-Qutayfah site was predicted by investigators to contain the human remains of at least 100,000 people who had been systematically and extrajudicially killed.
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Following thefall of the Assad regime in mid-December 2024, graves attributed to the rule of theAssad family, including bothBashar al-Assad and his fatherHafez al-Assad, were uncovered byNGOs such asHuman Rights Watch along with severalacademic researchers associated with theNIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies and theUniversity of Amsterdam. Their regime conducted widespread extrajudicial killings according to Syrian rebel groups, Syrian civilians, and academic experts, particularly within Syria's prison system, resulting in hundreds of thousands of casualties over several decades.[3][4] TheInternational Commission on Missing Persons, headquartered inThe Hague,The Netherlands, reported the presence of at least 66 mass grave sites across Syria.[5]
The total number of disappeared persons since 2011 exceeds 100,000, according to theSyrian Emergency Task Force. Organizations including theSyrian Observatory for Human Rights documented approximately 80,000 confirmed deaths among the missing, with an additional 60,000 individuals believed to have died fromtorture.[6]
A mass grave uncovered in al-Qutayfah in the countryside 25km north of Damascus emerged as the most substantial discovery by quantity, characterized by investigators as a centralized burial location for the Assad regime. Investigators estimated that the mass grave contained the human remains of at least 100,000 people.[1]
Academic researchers, including University of Amsterdamgenocide studies professorUğur Ümit Üngör, described the site as “a reflection of the killing machine of the Assad regime”.Syrian Air Force Intelligence was identified as the primary organization responsible for transporting deceased individuals from medical facilities or prisons to the burial sites.[3]
Local witnesses reported seeing security forces transporting bodies in refrigerated containers throughout the Syrian civil war. Religious leader Abdul Kadir al-Sheikha provided testimony about conducting burial rites for at least 100 victims within a 30-square-meter area, before being excluded from further ceremonies bysecret police.[6]
A second large mass grave was found in the settlement ofNajha in the southern Damascus countryside.[7] Initial assessments by international experts indicated the potential presence of several tens of thousands of victims. The site's complexity was heightened by its proximity to an existing cemetery, with investigators discovering that some victims were buried beneath previously established graves. Surface-level examinations revealed exposedhuman remains, includingvertebrae andfemur fragments.[2]
Human Rights Watch's examination of theTadamon neighborhood in southern Damascus revealed a mass grave associated with theTadamon massacre in April 2013, along with additional human remains spread throughout the area bearing marks consistent withexecution-style killings.[3][7]
Spatial analysis of the site revealed a machine-excavated grave measuring approximately three meters by seven meters, with a depth of two meters. Primary video evidence collected by researchers captured the execution of 41 individuals during a single incident, including the deaths of 11 blindfolded victims who were "shot at close range" and then pushed into the pre-dug grave alongside 13 other bodies. Additional evidence suggested that at least 288 individuals, including seven women and twelve children, were killed in the broader Tadamon area.[4]
In the northwestern Damascus suburb ofAdra, approximately 10 kilometers from the city center, investigators discovered multiple burial sites within a walled-off area.White Helmets humanitarian teams recovered skeletal remains stored in white plastic bags, with preliminary findings indicating at least seven bodies in one location. The recovery teams implemented systematic documentation procedures, collectingDNA samples and preserving evidence for future identification efforts.[6]
A mass grave site in Husseiniyeh along a road leading toDamascus International Airport was identified throughsatellite imagery analysis.[6]
On 18 December 2024, a mass grave was uncovered by Syrian White Helmets in the Damascus suburb ofSayyidah Zaynab, containing the human remains of at least 21 people. The mass grave was located in a predominantlyShia Islam neighborhood close to theSayyida Zaynab Mosque, at a site used byHezbollah andIranian-backed militia groups prior to the fall of the Assad regime. Many of the human remains were found in small pieces or in incomplete fragments.[8]
On 16 December 2024, A recently createdmass grave containing the bodies of 17 executedSyrian Army soldiers is discovered in theSyrian Desert nearDeir ez-Zor.[9]
Investigators uncovered twelve separate mass graves in southern Syria. One particularly notable site contained 22 victims, including women and children, who displayed evidence of torture and execution.[3][7]
On 16 December, 15 corpses, including women and children, were discovered buried in Mazra'at al-Kuwaiti nearIzra, an area previously controlled by a militia linked to the Military Security Branch.[10]
On 22 December, a mass grave containing the remains of 93 civilians was discovered inQarfa,Daraa Governorate. All of the victims were believed to have been burnt alive based on testimony from formerMilitary Intelligence Directorate troops, several of whom were women and children.[11]
On 25 December, six corpses were found buried in a field near Umm Al Qusur, dated back to over ten years ago.[12]
On 3 January 2025, residents in southern Syria discovered a mass grave in the vicinity of the 9th Division inal-Sanamayn, containing skeletal remains and clothing, likely buried over a decade ago.[13]
On 23 December, a mass grave containing over 1,200 individuals detained during the Assad regime was discovered inHoms, with the bodies reportedly transferred from the Homs Military Hospital.[14]
On 29 December, three mass graves of 20 civilians, arrested atmilitary checkpoints of the Assad regime, were discovered inAl-Qabou, Homs Governorate.[15]
On 30 December, a mass grave was discovered inAleppo, where a witness reported seeing hundreds of detainees being buried.[16]
Theinterim Syrian government, led byde facto leaderAhmed al-Sharaa, pledged to prosecute those responsible for the atrocities. Al-Sharaa requestedUnited Nations assistance in documenting the Assad regime's crimes and emphasized the administration's commitment to justice. In response, Human Rights Watch urged Syrian transitional authorities to preserve the physical evidence present at burial sites nationwide.[3]
The transitional government established a hotline for citizens and former prisoners to report locations of secret prisons and potential burial sites.[2]
FormerUnited States war crimes ambassadorStephen Rapp, who led several prosecutions at war crime tribunals inRwanda andSierra Leone, stated that the magnitude of state-organized systematic killings present implicated by the grave sites had not been observed "since theNazis".[7]
Genocide studies experts recommended establishing a DNA repository to assist in identifying victims and providing closure to affected families.[3]
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