New report compiles testimonies on Assad regime’s massacre of 700 Syrians in 2012

Details of the 2012 massacre in the Syrian town of Daraya, during the early stages of the Syrian Civil War, have emerged in a new comprehensive report issued 10 years after the events.

The investigation sponsored by the Syrian British Consortium collected evidence and testimonies from witnesses of the atrocities committed by Bashar Assad’s forces in the Damascus suburb, providing in-depth accounts of the killings of some 700 people.

“This investigation reveals that the Assad Government — including the Fourth Division, the Republican Guard, the Air Force Intelligence, shabiha and supporting Hezbollah and Iranian militias — engaged in a systematic attack against the civilian population of Daraya,” the report says.

“Government and affiliated forces engaged in a massacre, killing men, women and children. Witnesses reported that individuals and entire families were rounded up before being shot and killed at close range in their homes and in building basements.”

The investigation “showcases that despite the passage of 10 years and the collection of substantial evidence, accountability and justice continue to elude the people of Daraya.” It says witnesses “provided their testimony, recounting the heinous crimes committed in Daraya by their own government, based on their belief that their story — their truth — is not only worthy of documentation, but may one day assist in bringing justice and accountability.”