Enab Baladi – Nouran al-Samman

As efforts to uncover the fate of the missing in Syria continue, the retrieval of remains from mass graves in several areas remains ongoing.

The recent announcement of the discovery of more than 20 remains in the basement of a residential building in the countryside of Damascus has raised the total number of remains retrieved since December 2024 to over 100, according to a report issued by the Syria Civil Defence on February 25, raising questions about the fate of the retrieved remains, identification mechanisms, as well as burial sites and protocols for dealing with them.

What are the procedures for retrieving remains?

Yasser al-Qassem, the director of the Directorate of Forensic Medicine in Syria, clarified in an interview with Enab Baladi that retrieval operations are supervised by a specialized team comprising forensic dentistry and forensic medicine specialists, anthropologists, excavation teams, photography experts, and criminal investigators.

Al-Qassem noted that the bodies are buried in designated locations with measures taken to ensure future access to them in case their identities are identified.

He added that, according to the adopted protocol, precise steps are taken when dealing with mass graves, starting with obtaining official approvals, identifying the burial site, and securing it to prevent unauthorized individuals from approaching and photographing it.

The approximate burial depth of the bodies is determined to establish a safe excavation distance, and the soil is removed in phases until reaching the bodies, which are carefully uncovered using “paintbrushes,” while the surrounding soil is examined for any additional evidence. All stages are documented through photography to preserve evidence and ensure the process’s safety, according to the Director of Forensic Medicine.

Each body is placed in a numbered grave with precise coordinates, along with special markers that contain codes linking it to a digital database of the corpse. The primary goal is to protect the rights of the victims and their families.

Yasser al-Qassem, Director of Forensic Medicine in Syria

He emphasized the ongoing collaboration between the Forensic Medicine Directorate and judicial authorities to determine the circumstances and timing of the deaths, warning against the risks of indiscriminate excavation of graves, which could lead to the mixing of remains and complicate the identification process.

How are remains identified and families notified?

In cases where identification of a remain is suspected, al-Qassem outlined the steps taken to Enab Baladi:

• Suspicion of Identity: This is done by searching within databases of missing persons via the Syrian identification program.
• Comparison of Files: The remains’ data, including physical and medical attributes, is compared with information about missing persons provided by their families (photos, physical traits, distinctive marks, dental records, and medical history).
• Confirmation and Notification of Families: Upon matching, families of the missing are contacted with sensitivity to their psychological state, presenting evidence such as photos or medical reports. If the body has not decomposed, an adjusted photo of the body is shown to the family to resemble a living person.
• Legal Procedures: An official comparison certificate is prepared for judicial authorities, and a copy is handed to the families of the missing to facilitate the procedure of receiving and burying the body through forensic medicine, along with issuing an official death certificate to legally document the case.

Al-Qassem affirmed that the identification and notification process requires balancing scientific accuracy with full respect for the feelings of the families.

Challenges at burial sites

Al-Qassem explained to Enab Baladi that forensic teams in Syria are suffering from a shortage of qualified personnel, necessitating collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to train and qualify workers to handle these cases.

The ICRC was one of the prominent international organizations that visited Damascus after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8, 2024, meeting with the head of the interim Damascus government, Mohammed al-Bashir.

The chairperson of the ICRC, Mirjana Spoljaric, previously confirmed in a conversation with Enab Baladi the committee’s commitment to support Syrians across the country, working “closely” with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC), and the ICRC’s commitment to assist families of the missing in their search for answers.

Spoljaric highlighted the importance of protecting burial sites to ensure that potential sites are not tampered with and that excavations occur according to the highest standards of forensic medicine.

Al-Qassem noted the coordination with other international organizations through the Directorate of Planning and International Cooperation to train personnel and increase the number of volunteers for capacity-building efforts to handle the numerous graves for identification and delivery to their families.

Forensic expert Dr. Mohammad Kahil, working in the Forensic Medicine department in Azaz, northeastern Aleppo, told Enab Baladi that identifying remains relies on examining clothing and individual marks on partially decomposed bodies. In cases of complete decomposition, a sample or biopsy from the bones is taken for DNA analysis; however, this technology is currently unavailable in Syria.

He added that the current methodology in Syria only involves taking samples from bones or skulls and placing them in a special preservative solution for comparison with samples provided by victims’ families if there is a suspicion that the body belongs to one of their relatives.

Tampering with graves threatens justice

Concerns are growing about unregulated tampering at burial sites, which threatens to destroy forensic evidence and complicate the identification process of victims.

While the Syria Civil Defence teams operate according to studied protocols to document remains and ensure they are handled per international standards, challenges remain regarding the protection of these sites and preventing unauthorized interventions that compromise evidence.

A member of the Syria Civil Defence Board, Ammar al-Salmo, warned of the dangers posed by unregulated tampering of mass graves, noting that the Civil Defence follows procedures that have been trained on by international organizations to document any unidentified remains or remnants.

These procedures include:

• Documenting the location of the remains.
• Recording any physical evidence such as clothing, bullet remnants, or any projectile fragments.
• Documenting the condition of the bones, whether broken or intact.

Al-Salmo mentioned that after the documentation process, the remains are transferred to forensic medicine (identification center) for follow-up procedures, which was also emphasized by the forensic expert Kahil.

The need to protect mass graves

The Civil Defence has called since the first day after the fall of the previous regime for the necessity of protecting mass graves, indicating that the new administration has taken this issue seriously, according to Ammar al-Salmo, a member of the board of directors of the Syria Civil Defence.

He confirmed that there has been a response from the government to the Civil Defence when requesting protection for these graves; however, despite the existing cooperation, there is still no clear and comprehensive directive for all security centers regarding the necessity of protecting these sites and criminalizing those who open mass graves.

He continued, saying, “Every day, there are those who open mass graves, extracting human remains to the surface and taking photographs, which destroys the evidence or any chance for future exhibition.”

After the fall of the ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, several Syrian activists rushed to social media and some Arab media to known mass grave sites in Syria, and footage emerged from there showing graves being dug up and corpses being tampered with.

Authorities, international and local organizations seem almost absent from this file, as journalists and activists have not been prevented from accessing mass grave sites, and locals continue to reach these places, with little to no value in the unorganized search process, which lacks any scientific or medical methodology.

Handling mass graves after armed conflicts poses a legal and humanitarian challenge that requires taking precise measures based on international humanitarian law, human rights law, and international criminal law.

Syrian Network for Human Rights

Al-Salmo pointed out that just last week, more than one mass grave was opened by civilians, leading to tampering with their contents.

He added, “In one grave, a complete body was exhumed still dressed, blindfolded, and a ring belonging to the victim was found, but after the Civil Defence arrived hours later, we found none of this evidence; the ring had disappeared, we couldn’t find the complete body and the bones were scattered, the clothing was moved elsewhere, and the remains were tampered with after being exhumed by civilians.”

For his part, forensic expert Dr. Mohammad Kahil stated that the process of excavating mass graves in a non-academic and non-technical manner, combined with the large number of people present at the mass grave sites, hinders search and documentation operations and affects the workflow.

He also noted that many workers in this field currently lack the specialization and sufficient experience, leading to errors in documentation and evidence analysis.

He clarified that the opening of these graves must be done in an academic and scientific manner, according to established guidelines for dealing with mass graves.

He warned of the legal and human rights consequences resulting from random tampering with mass graves, as failing to document evidence according to international standards devalues its legal worth, potentially leading to the loss of rights of the victims and their families, and diminishing the possibility of using this evidence in international courts specialized in war crimes.

The forensic expert, through Enab Baladi, called on all concerned parties that the opening of any mass grave should only take place in the presence of forensic teams, specialized forensic experts, and forensic anthropologists to ensure the remains are handled according to the necessary scientific and legal standards, preserving the rights of the victims and their families, “so we can form a criminal lawsuit file before international forums and specialized courts, and our evidence is valid.”

The need for a unified national authority

The Civil Defence is dealing with mass graves according to a clear work strategy, according to al-Salmo, who emphasized that these efforts will not be sufficient without the presence of a comprehensive national authority that includes the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Health, the forensic center, and the Civil Defence, along with any active party, international experts, and international organizations, in addition to victim’s associations and families of the victims who are part of the process.

He pointed out that without unified national action, any progress on the mass grave file will be hindered.

Al-Salmo indicated that the Civil Defence found itself compelled to deal with unprotected and exposed mass graves, fearing they would be tampered with or destroyed due to their exposure or affect public health.

The Civil Defence has been dealing since day one with unknown bodies and human remains found in open areas, and continues to do so due to some civilians opening mass graves and tampering with them.

Ammar al-Salmo, Board Member of the Syria Civil Defence

What sites have the remains been recovered from?

The latest report from the Civil Defence, dated February 25, mentioned that the remains recovery operations carried out by the Civil Defence from the beginning of December 2024 until February 25 included several locations in Syria, namely:

Northeast Daraa countryside: Recovery of two unidentified remains on February 23 from inside a military site belonging to the previous Syrian regime (34th Tank Brigade) in the village of al-Masmiya.

Hama countryside: Recovery of the remains of seven persons from a well in the village of al-Bani in western Hama, following a report from a local resident.

Homs countryside: Recovery of the remains of between 20 to 25 persons from an exposed site in the Qaboun area in northwestern Homs on December 30, 2024.

In Damascus and its countryside:

-Recovery of the remains of more than 20 unidentified individuals from the basement of an apartment building in the town of Sabinah in the Damascus countryside on February 25.

-Recovery of the remains of 24 unidentified persons from two exposed and unprotected sites in the town of Sabinah, on January 28 and 29, 2025, following reports from local residents and activists.

-Discovery of the remains of at least two persons above ground, exposed and at risk of erosion (unprotected) from the al-Tadamon neighborhood on January 7, following reports from residents and activists.

-Recovery of the remains of 21 persons in the city of Sayyida Zaynab in southeast Damascus on December 18, 2024.

-Discovery of the remains of seven persons on December 17, 2024, within an open grave that had been tampered with near the city of Adra in eastern Damascus countryside.

-Along the road to Damascus International Airport in eastern Damascus countryside, the remains of 21 unidentified individuals were recovered on December 16, 2024.

The Civil Defence emphasized that they do not open any mass graves or extract remains from them, as dealing with mass graves requires legal authorization and specialized teams that include certified technicians and laboratories to ensure scientific handling of the evidence.

It clarified that the mass graves in Syria face significant risks due to random digging and unprofessional interventions, which directly threaten the dignity of the victims and their rights and the rights of their families; and threaten future efforts to achieve accountability and justice.

This also leads to the destruction of evidence and the loss of the crime scene and knowledge of the perpetrators of the crimes, hindering efforts to ensure justice.

A statement by the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) had previously called on the interim Damascus government, media, and the Syrian community to protect mass graves from tampering, given their importance as primary evidence in legal and criminal investigations, in addition to the necessity of treating the remains of victims with respect and dignity, and ensuring a ban on distortion or abuse, in compliance with international law provisions.