Criminal Probe Launched After Mass Grave Linked to Assad Era Found Near Damascus

A criminal investigation has begun after a mass grave containing thousands of bodies from Syria’s Assad era was discovered in the Dumayr desert near Damascus.

Criminal investigations have been launched following the discovery of a mass grave dating back to the era of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Reuters reported on Wednesday. The grave was found in the desert area of Dumayr, east of the Syrian capital Damascus.

According to the report, the site contains thousands of bodies and was previously used as a military weapons storage facility during Assad’s rule. A former army officer familiar with the operation told Reuters that the location was tightly controlled by security forces.

Reuters said the remains were moved to the Dumayr site in 2018 as part of a secret operation designed to conceal evidence of mass killings. The plan, allegedly overseen by Assad’s inner circle, was referred to as a “land relocation operation.”

The report said bodies were transferred from mass graves in the Damascus countryside to Dumayr, about an hour’s drive away, as Assad’s government sought to eliminate evidence while consolidating military gains in the civil war.

By 2018, Assad was close to declaring victory in Syria’s civil conflict and was seeking to restore international legitimacy after years of sanctions and accusations of widespread human rights abuses.

Human rights groups have long accused the Assad government of detaining, torturing, and killing thousands of Syrians, with many victims believed to have been buried in unmarked mass graves.

The discovery has renewed calls from rights organizations for independent international investigations and accountability for crimes committed during the conflict.

Activists also reported another mass grave in the town of Qutayfah, outside Damascus, raising concerns that further undiscovered burial sites may exist across the country.

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