Study documenting alleged Hatlah Shiite village's massacre in Deirez-Zur

Hatlah is not Shia village as some media and organizations alleged which want to visualize what happening in Syrian as struggle between religions, sects and races, not a popular democratic movement contains all religions, sects and races against authoritarian repressive totalitarian dictatorship regime. Who use and put his sect against the people, and hide behind them, although many of them are in the same ranks of struggle and combating against tyranny and oppression. The regime mobilized them with sectarian slogans and make them as fuel in order to continue in power, loot the people's money, and rule for another 40 years.

This cause sectarian reaction from the other party, but what's happening now according to some media, which want to visualize what happening in Syrian as sectarian war between Sunni and Alawite, in order to justify to their people the terrible weakness for supporting the oppressed and struggling against tyranny, even at the level of humanitarian and human rights relief which is the least thing to do morally not politically.

Population of this town is almost 15000 citizens, 3000 are Shiite and the rest are Sunni, most of them are not original Shiite, but they embraced this sect after the strong Shiism campaign, that have emerged 5 years ago by Shiite villages knows as Jafra and Hosaynia tried to spread Shi'ism exploiting poor people and offered a monthly salary about 7000 Syrian Pounds at that time,       as there are in the village 20 mosques and 2 Hosaynia for Shiite.

As the dominated religious belief in the province of Dierez-Zur is Sunni, and Shiite was rare, the residents called Hatlah village as Shiite village. 

Respect of religion and opinion of others believes remained personal freedom, no one exposed to them since they entered Shiism, even at the beginning of Syrian Revolution, there is no discrimination between them and the other residents in the town, and even at the level of relief aids was distributed evenly.

We would like to notify very important thing that Shiite Hosyainias were call Shiite Azan and practicing rites of worship, and no one ever exposed to them until the last days before the clashes started, and life returned as it was after the clashes end .  

Syrian regime since the beginning of Syrian revolution has armed and sectarian mobilized pro-villages and neighborhoods to win them and servitude for his defense. The regime recruited many of their sons in the ranks of Shabiha militia and as spies against the people in the areas where do they live, it happened in Homs and countryside, Hama countryside, Baniyas, Lattakia, Nubal, Zahra, Foa'a of Idlib, and the same thing repeated in Hatlah of Deirez-Zur.

Tension prevailed between residents and rebels on one hand, and Shabiha militia and intelligence elements on the other hand, it led to fight and clashes in many times. We warned again and repeat that it will turn into sectarian killings if not suspend the ruling regime from use this game.

The fighting which has so far not because they are from other religion or sect, they lived together for hundred years before the revolution, even at the beginning of the revolution this conflict didn't happened.

The conflict started when they turned into intelligence elements and militias, so they became a target as a party in the armed conflict, totally wrong who thought that happened cause of their religion and belief, even the acts of some members of the armed opposition who justify the killing cause they are Alwite and Shiite , but its individual behaviors, not acceptable, and not connected to the reality, what happened is just reaction on arming a specific sect by the regime and the evidence that Hatla is liberated village from regime troops and was a pass for rebels, journalists and opposition activists , where Free Syrian Army was able to revenge and kill residents at any time, although of  clear- sectarian cleansing of Baniyas massacre and Hola , Trimsa , JdidtAlfadel massacres and many other sectarian massacres, none of Free Syrian Army fighters approach from the Shiite in the town that is under their control

 Details of the report      

Monday 10/6/2013, Free Syrian Army fighters wanted to arrest few spies and informers of Syrian regime after checking their IDs and investigated that they were providing the regime with accurate information about the centers of FSA and the regime shelling them accurately, it grew dramatically after the attacked of some armed form Hatlah village to Qadsiah checkpoint which is on the other side of political bridge the only liberated pass to the village, in this context an activist called Abo Albaraa told us:  

"We were listening across the Wireless How informants in Alhtlah instructs regime's army on the movements of civilians and militants while crossing between rural and city and define the number of civilians and the number of militants and immediately the shell starts, even when they could not give them the coordinates accurately they point by green laser to their locations, and incidents of green laser, located the azimuth of regime's tanks stationed on the mountain known to all, before liberating the political Security branch where the regime's tank was able to identify crossing azimuth accurately and successfully shelled it "

The Green laser stems from the village towards the mountain when starting crossing between the countryside and the city, the martyrs, "Abu Maria" and "AnasToaama" martyred cause direct shell from the mountain with other eighteen young, and everyone knew that azimuth coordinates have been located and informants in the village of giving the coordinates to the artillery stationed on the mountain"

Another person his name is Faisal told us:

"The village is located next to the political bridge barrier, which was dominated by Free Army and was the only outlet for the besieged neighborhoods, Hatlah Shiite sect residents was supplying the regime checkpoints, specifically Salehia checkpoint with food"

Free army fighters tried to get access to spies and Shabiha, but (National Defense Army) and (Al al-Bayt Brigades) affiliated to Syrian regime, who gave them arms and ammunition with all their Shiite members , knew that so they arose targeted FSA' fighters killed 3 of them and wounded 8 others.

Account of survivor ( fighter of FSA )

Following the incident next day Tuesday 11/6/2013, many of Free Syrian Army Brigades mobilized and surrounded the entire area, and demanded to handle murderers, spies and informers, but they refused, shooting and violent clashes begun and lasted for hours and led to kill 8 fighters of FSA and 25 injuries at least, and in the other side according to accounts without any physical evidence " more than 35 was killed including 30 armed men and 2 fighter women in addition to 5 civilians killed through clashes or by field execution " , the documented civilians in SNHR is two , one woman we told that she was holding weapons, and one man.

Important notification

SNHR was unable to detect the number of victims, cause the lack of any photo, video, evidence, or even the name of the victims which is the minimum standards followed by SNHR in documenting victims, in addition we were not able to connect with any survivor of the massacre or relatives of victims cause of the ban imposed on us by Syrian regime and difficulty of communicating in such cases, those who have been documented for us is a man and his wife , FSA fighters told us that the women was holding a weapon and they thought that she was a man. There is another important note that FSA fighters allowed for everyone of residents, who wants to get out of the town and didn't expose to them with any harm, so if they really wanted to commit a massacre against civilians they could do it after fighting while the civilians were in there hands.

In this video filmed by a member of armed brigades shows two victims          

Even MrhasanAlraja and his son who alleged that he slaughtered by Armed brigade cause he tried to spread the Shiite religion in the area (and it is a convicted act if proved and consider as a war crime) SNHR couldn't document a physical evidence that he was killed 

On the other side we could have victims name of FSA and videos of them after get killed.

Armed brigade who broke into the village burned some houses which owned by spies, informers and Shabiha affiliated to Syrian regime according to SFA.

On the other side media channel loyal to Syrian regime, especially Shiite channels like Manar TV, Alaalm TV and else in addition to Syrian regime media reported that massacre committed where children ,women and entire families were slaughtered without publishing any photo for slaughtered child or women. It was all talk without any physical proof. All what they transmitted is a videos filmed by Armed brigade shows burning houses and a video for a man near a women, some fighter as we mentioned before told us that they killed during clashes, unless no other photo or video documenting the massacre.

Loyal to Syrian regime websites went so far in fraud the truth, they transmitted photos for Baniyas massacre children and Hola children, and Binich killed by Syrian Government Armed Troops through those massacres.

This photo published through social networking sites by one said that he documented the massacre, in real she is the photo of child KhaledAlfares who martyred in Alhola massacre in Homs in 17/5/2012 and has many photos and videos        

The big contrary that Alwasat, pro-Hezbollah, has published the same photo when he condemned Alhola massacre.

Facebook page affiliated to Hizbullah called AsodAldahiaAljonobia publish a photo for a child claimed that it is from Hatlah victims  

The truth is this is a photo for girl child from Bustan Al-qasr killed cause of  the heavy shelling by Syrian Government's Armed Troops, this her photo on Facebook pages of Aleppo revolution against Bashar Alassad since 21/8/2012

 Here Facebook page loyal to Syrian regime put a photo for someone child claimed his name Ibrahim, when checking the child photo that shows signs of blood, it shows that belonged to a child from Binch of Idlib governorate was shot when Syrian Government's Armed Troops targeted the town, he is still alive and get the needed treatment in Turkey.

The photo on loyal to Syrian regime Facebook page:

Here is a link of the news in 21/5/2013, shows two photos for the same child with Binch Media bureau logo

It all aims to visualize what happened as something close to the massacres happened in Baniyas, Hola, Trimsa, JdidtAlfadel massacres, and both sides committing sectarian massacres, and what happening in Syria is a civil war. Although we don't deny some sectarian acts committed by some of armed oppositions brigades, and we condemns them severely     

Conclusions and recommendations:

1-     Syrian regime is trying to play the sectarian card and arming villages belonging to Alawite sect, thus deliberately encourages on sectarian congestion and sheltered behind his sect and make it as fuel for survival.

2-      Repletion and methodology of such practices and actions will inevitably lead to a reaction from the opposite party and will ignite a sectarian war in a systematic manner, if United Nations represented by Security Council did not remedy that and did their duty entrusted with the maintenance of security and civil peace.

3-     Should immediately stop the Syrian regime from sparking a sectarian war and take serious steps in this regard.

Study prepared by the Syrian Network for Human Rights