Mass grave discovered in Al-Buqay’a near the Homs-Tartous highway

A farmer working his land identified a mass grave in the Al-Buqay’a area in the Homs countryside, near a sewer, close to a block press on the Al-Hawash junction bridge on the Homs-Tartous highway. The grave contains the remains of dozens of people, believed to be civilians who went missing during the years of conflict, including children and women, as evidenced by the shapes of the bones and skulls.

The Al-Buqay’a area is considered one of the areas where kidnappings and arbitrary arrests have been rampant, targeting many civilians, particularly travelers on the highway, under the control of regime forces and their allied militias. The “Syrian Social Nationalist Party” and its militias, known as the “Eagles of the Whirlwind,” have been involved in significant criminal activity in the area, particularly during the years of widespread security and military escalation.

 The Syrian Human Rights Committee condemns in the strongest terms the regime of Bashar al-Assad, its allied militias, the so-called Eagles of the Whirlwind, and those behind them. It calls on the relevant Syrian authorities to pursue the case of the disappeared and the parties behind their disappearance, and to hold them accountable or file a lawsuit against them.

 SHRC asks Syrian citizens to report any graves they find and not tamper with them until the competent authorities, including the Criminal Evidence Branch, arrive to identify evidence that may lead them to identify the victim and the perpetrator.