The Syrian National Transitional Justice Commission has begun taking statements from relatives of victims, survivors, and witnesses of the massacre perpetrated in 2012 by militias loyal to the ousted Bashar al-Assad regime in the town of Houla in rural Homs. The commission is continuing its work with the aim of "uncovering the truth and delivering justice to the victims."
Commission President Abdulbasit Abdullatif announced that an official investigation into the Houla massacre has been launched. Abdullatif added that a commission center will soon be opened in the city of Homs.
Dr. Ahmed Seyfu, a member of the commission's Truth-Revealing Directorate, stated that Houla holds special symbolic significance in Syrian memory. "This step stems from the right of Syrians to know the truth and see justice, and the right of victims to compensation and fairness," Seyfu said. He added that the commission will soon move to a comprehensive field investigation phase in coordination with judicial authorities, collecting statements and examining the causes and circumstances of the crime.
Witness Testimony
During a hearing session, a woman recounted the details of the raid on her family's home. She said she heard the armed attackers giving each other orders such as "kill the child first, then the adult." The woman, who said she tried to grab a small child and flee but the attackers sprayed everyone with bullets, tearfully recounted that they later received a phone call from a surviving girl who said "they're all dead," informing them that her parents and siblings had been killed.
The Houla Massacre
The Houla massacre went down in history as one of the most horrific and largest massacres in Syria. In the attack carried out on May 25, 2012, by "Shabiha" militias loyal to the ousted regime, 107 civilians lost their lives, including 49 children and 32 women, according to documents from the Syrian Human Rights Network at the time.
Bashar al-Assad's forces besieged the town of Taldo at the entrance to the Houla area for about 10 hours, subjecting it to heavy bombardment. Then Shabiha groups entered the town and carried out a mass killing.
Past Arrests
In May 2025, the Syrian Ministry of Interior announced the arrest of numerous individuals involved in crimes including the Houla massacre. The ministry released video confessions of detained elements of the ousted regime admitting their participation in the massacre, and also shared a recording of the detainees reenacting the details of the massacre at the scene.
