Muhyiddin Hawlani called for justice after attacks in Syria’s Darayya district in 2012 that saw civilians killed, homes looted and many people disappear. Local records show that 512 people lost their lives in the attacks, while 250 people could not be identified and the fate of around 200 others remains unknown.
Attacks around Darayya continued for days
Hawlani said an attack was also carried out in Moadamiyeh several days before Darayya was entered, killing many people there. He said the attacks were conducted as part of an effort to maintain control around the capital, adding that armed elements were to be driven from the area and that militias were used.
Hawlani said units affiliated with the Syrian army entered some parts of Darayya, while different armed groups were present in other areas. He said civilians were killed and homes were looted. The events were not limited to a single day, Hawlani said, adding that neighborhoods were entered at night, searches were carried out and people were killed.
Hawlani said 35 members of the Sakka family were killed
Hawlani said the Sakka family’s home was entered and 35 people, from the grandfather to the grandchildren, were killed. The witness said he saw bodies in the streets, describing his inability to intervene as a deeply distressing experience and saying the scale of the events came as a major shock.
Hawlani said a refrigerated container holding around 100 bodies was brought next to a bakery several days after the attacks. He said the bodies could not be identified. Hawlani said he witnessed the killing of a child and that civilians took shelter in fields, sewers and wells to escape gunfire from aircraft.
Wounded survivors stayed hidden in the area
Hawlani said some people who were wounded, like him, survived by hiding in the surrounding area. He said the mother of a friend who had died came to him every night, treating his wounds and bringing him medicine and food.
Hawlani said that after the attacks, young people removed bodies from homes at night and gathered them in mosques. He said efforts were made to keep photographs and other records to help identify the victims. Hawlani reiterated that although local records document 512 deaths, 250 people could not be identified and around 200 people remain missing.
Witness calls for the fate of the missing to be disclosed
Hawlani said his friends could be found neither among the bodies nor in detention facilities, and called for the fate of the missing to be disclosed. He said those responsible should be held accountable for the crimes they committed, calling for acts including murder, preparing reports and blackmailing people for money to be assessed separately.
Hawlani stressed that what happened in Darayya should not be viewed as merely an event from the past. He said securing justice was important to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
