Press Release
Syrian Opposition Coalition
Department of Media and Communications
September 25, 2023
Today marks the 11th anniversary of two of the Assad regime’s most horrific and brutal massacres against innocent people that occurred eleven years ago. These tragic events include the massacre in the town of Al-Dhiyabiya in the Damascus countryside, which took place between September 22 and September 26, 2012. The second massacre is the one that unfolded in the Al-Joura and Al-Qusour neighborhoods in the city of Deir Ezzor on September 25, 2012.
The Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) emphasizes that both of these massacres are considered war crimes and crimes against humanity. In the town of Al-Dhiyabiya, Assad’s forces and sectarian militias claimed the lives of 107 individuals, the majority of whom were elderly. Shockingly, 70 of them met a gruesome end, having been slaughtered with knives. In the Al-Joura and Al-Qusour neighborhoods, approximately 400 people, including children, the elderly, and women, lost their lives under harsh and brutal circumstances. These killings involved field executions by gunfire and horrific acts of knife-wielding violence, all according to credible human rights reports.
These heinous crimes have been meticulously documented by numerous human rights organizations and international bodies. The path to sustainable security, stability, and peace in Syria hinges on the pursuit of justice.
The international community, through the United Nations and its affiliated organizations and institutions, bears the responsibility of ensuring that the criminal Assad regime does not evade accountability and punishment. Furthermore, it underscores that the series of war crimes perpetrated by this regime are not subject to a statute of limitations. Therefore, effective measures must be taken in accordance with a time-bound plan for accountability, justice, and the full and strict implementation of UN resolutions. This notably includes UN Resolution 2254.
