photos Reveal Syrian Activist Mazen al-Hamada Killed Months Before Previously Thought, Evidence of Systematic State Killings Mount
Newly analyzed photographs and documents suggest Syrian activist Mazen al-hamada was killed months earlier than previously believed, adding to a growing body of evidence detailing systematic killings and torture carried out by the Assad regime. The findings, part of an examination by the journalism collective Pointer, reveal a chilling pattern of deaths within Syrian military hospitals, where prisoners were allegedly tortured and executed, their bodies meticulously documented before being buried in mass graves.
The discovery underscores the immense scale of the Syrian conflict’s human cost, with over 120,000 people reported missing. For families desperately seeking answers about loved ones, these documents offer a potential, though harrowing, path toward identifying the fate of those disappeared. The research, which includes interviews with medical staff and analysis of satellite imagery, points to a purposeful and organized effort to eliminate political opponents and suppress dissent under President Bashar al-Assad.
Pointer‘s investigation centers on evidence gathered from Haraste hospital, where interviews and satellite images indicate prisoners were systematically tortured and killed on the facility’s top floor. bodies were reportedly removed in vans and stored in refrigerated trucks, photographed, registered, and then transported to mass graves at locations including Al Qutayfah and Najha. Al-Hamada’s body was ultimately discovered in the infamous Sednaya prison in Damascus following Assad’s flight, and hundreds attended his funeral on December 12, 2024.
“The relatives do not know when Syrians have been killed or in which mass grave they lie,” explains Uğur Ümit Üngör, a genocide researcher at NOID. “If these documents can provide insight into this, they serve not only a scientific interest, but also a human interest.” Üngör describes the data as “incredibly unique,” noting that most of the 120,000 disappeared Syrians are believed to have died from torture or execution.
The research builds on existing reports of widespread human rights abuses committed during the Syrian civil war, and highlights the critical need for accountability and justice for victims and their families. The newly surfaced evidence could potentially aid ongoing investigations into war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Assad regime.
