Syrian Dictator's Massacres Revealed

The Najha cemetery, located approximately five miles south of Damascus, was originally established as a modest burial ground for residents of Damascus and nearby towns many years ago.

After the Syrian revolution crackdown in March 2011, President Bashar al-Assad's government began using the cemetery to bury individuals it had killed, including anti-government protesters, activists, journalists, loyalists who had fallen out of favor, and members of rebel factions. Over the years, the regime systematically developed the cemetery into one of the largest mass grave sites in the country.

Satellite images from 2011 to 2024, analyzed by The Times, along with witness testimonies and human rights reports, confirm the regime's use of Najha for mass burials. The Assad government denied these actions, but extensive evidence suggests otherwise.

Efforts are underway to identify and locate numerous mass graves across Syria, with at least 60 locations reported to the White Helmets for excavation. The exact number of bodies in mass graves, including at Najha, remains unknown until excavation is completed. The Syrian Network for Human Rights estimates that over 160,000 individuals who were held in regime detention centers are still missing.

Former workers at Najha described how bodies were initially buried in existing tombs and later in crudely dug pits and long trenches. The burial operations were conducted covertly, with witnesses reporting disturbing scenes of bodies being dumped and buried in mass graves.

Residents living near Najha were aware of the mass burials but remained silent out of fear of retribution. The regime's burial activities at Najha slowed around 2013 due to rebel advances, leading to a shift to another mass grave site in Qutayfa. The systematic burial operation at Najha continued until the summer of 2024, just before the regime's collapse.

Witnesses and evidence suggest a pattern of large-scale burial activities at Najha, with trenches being prepared in advance for mass burials. The regime's actions at Najha and other mass graves have raised serious human rights concerns and demands for accountability.