In the massive file published by Zaman al-Wasl newspaper, which includes the names of hundreds of people executed on the direct orders of Hafez al-Assad in the desert Tadmur Prison in central Syria between 1980 and 1985, the names of detainees of Arab nationalities, including Lebanese and Iraqis, stand out.
Documents indicate that the death sentences were carried out specifically between 1981 and 1982, as part of mass liquidation campaigns targeting political detainees, both Syrian and non-Syrian.
These detainees were charged with "receiving money from a foreign country" or "membership in the armed organization of the Muslim Brotherhood," charges widely used by the Syrian regime at that time to justify extrajudicial executions. It is likely that the "foreign country" referred to was Iraq, given the deep-rooted hostility between the Ba'athist regimes in Damascus and Baghdad at the time, especially at the height of the Iraqi regime's involvement in supporting factions opposed to the Syrian regime.
Among the names that appeared on the lists were:
Iraqi detainees:
• Hamid Rashid Ali (born 1947 – Mother: Fakhriya)
📌Lifta Ajja Nasser (born 1951 – Mother: Farhuda), an Iraqi woman.
• Abboud Hindi al-Dulaimi (1951 – Mother: Shadhra, rank of captain)
Crime: Receiving money from a foreign country
Decision: Execution – Executed, Decision No. 72 of 1982
Lebanese detainees:
• Aref Mohieddine al-Daouq (1948 – mother: Nazha)
Crime: Receiving money from a foreign country
Decision: Execution – Executed, Decision No. 72 of 1982
• Qarija Farid Shahwan (1951 – mother: Thuraya)
Crime: Membership in the armed organization of the Muslim Brotherhood
Decision: Execution – Executed, Decision No. 31 of 1981
The repetition of the decision number in most cases, particularly Decision No. 72 of 1982, reinforces the hypothesis that the executions were carried out in organized batches, rather than on the basis of fair trials. The inclusion of a Lebanese man on the "Muslim Brotherhood" charge also reveals that the circle of security suspicion extends beyond Syria's borders, using religious and political charges as a cover to eliminate Arab opponents, regardless of their true affiliations.
In the background to these decisions, it is expected that Mustafa Tlass, the then-Minister of Defense, was among the most enthusiastic advocates for their implementation without review, in line with his hardline rhetoric toward the opposition and his close association with the comprehensive security campaign. Tlass is known for his extreme stubbornness in such cases, and his rejection of any lenient approach toward those he considered "opponents of the Baath and the state." This political stubbornness—mixed with a vengeful streak—played a decisive role in fostering the institutional massacre inside Tadmor prison, targeting both Syrians and those of Arab nationality.
These documents indicate that the Assad regime was not content with crushing the internal opposition but rather expanded the circle of violence to include anyone suspected of ideological or political loyalty outside the country's borders, even if they were Arab.
By Hussein al-Shishakli
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