Remains of 7 people recovered in Damascus countryside

The search teams of the Syrian Civil Defense recovered the remains of 7 bodies on Tuesday, after a report was received about the presence of remains in an open grave, in a site near the city of Adra in the eastern countryside of Damascus.

The organization said that teams from the Syrian Civil Defense went to the site and inspected it, which is an unforested and fenced land containing holes in the form of regular longitudinal grooves covered with cement layers.

According to the initial assessment, the place contains evidence of the presence of a mass grave, and according to the testimonies of the residents in the area, they confirmed that the site was (military or security affiliated with the criminal Assad regime) and that only military personnel or security forces affiliated with the Assad regime are allowed to enter it.

The White Helmets added that the remains were in an open grave in plastic bags, and the grave is a longitudinal groove covered in some parts with cement covers, and the grave was exposed at a time unknown to us to being opened and tampered with the remains in it, and it was left open, which exposes the remains to extinction.

The search teams of the Syrian Civil Defense recovered the remains of 21 unidentified bodies on Monday, December 16. The recovery process came after a report of the presence of unburied remains on the Damascus International Airport Road site in the eastern countryside of Damascus.

The Syrian Civil Defense teams worked to document these remains in accordance with the protocols for documenting and collecting remains. The teams are continuing to coordinate to complete all procedures related to preserving them, which will help in identifying them later.

The role of the Syrian Civil Defense teams is currently focused on responding urgently to calls from residents about the presence of uncovered unburied remains. The teams, within the controls of strict adherence to humanitarian and criminal principles, document and collect the remains and take samples from them to be matched later, in accordance with the special protocols and coordination to complete all procedures related to preserving them, which will help in identifying them later.

The organization said that its teams do not open any mass graves or extract any remains buried in them, but rather work within the framework of responding to dealing with bodies and open graves or uncovered remains outside mass graves, as dealing with mass graves requires judicial and criminal jurisdiction, specialized teams and legal authorization, in addition to the presence of specialized technicians and specialized laboratories to ensure that the remains are dealt with scientifically and accurately.

The rescue agency confirmed that mass graves and remains constitute a recurring legacy of conflicts, wars and human rights violations, and survivors need to know the truth about the fate of their loved ones, and they have the right under international law to seek to know the truth, achieve justice and redress the harm.