Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) & Damascus Centre for Human Rights Studies (DCHRS)- At-Treimseh Massacre<\/p>\n
When Murderers Attempt to Hide the Truth<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
At-Treimh is a very small village whose population is less than 11 thousand people. It is 11km to the west of Mhardeh city in Hama governorate.<\/p>\n
Date of Massacre: 12\/07\/2012<\/p>\n
First eyewitness: Abou Ahmad, fake name, mobile phone number available.<\/p>\n
Second eyewitness: Abou Assa’ad, fake name, mobile phone number available.<\/p>\n
Third eyewitness: Ibrahim al-Hamwi, fake name, mobile phone number available.<\/p>\n
Statements provided by At-Treimseh residents affirmed that at the dawn of Thursday 12\/07\/2012 around 04:00 am, At-Treimseh village have been fully besieged by military forces that came from the neighbouring city of Mhardeh. These forces had been followed by huge reinforcements that came from Hama military airport. Residents estimated this force to be of 200 military vehicles including tanks, armoured vehicles, Shilka tanks, Zil cars, transport buses, 4X4s and pick-ups accompanied by army troop’s infantry who has been transported by about 25 Zil cars, as estimated by residents. In addition, militants armed with assault rifles wearing civilian clothes came by white buses and pick-ups.<\/p>\n
This military force had fully besieged the village. Eyewitnesses stated that shelling from all directions started between 4 \u2013 5 am. Shelling tanks and aerial bombardment by 3 helicopters went on continually for about 4 hours. Eyewitnesses affirmed seeing a fourth warplane that had not shelled the village; they say that most likely it was a drone conducting monitoring and scouting.<\/p>\n
By contacting residents they have stated that upon the kick-off of the shelling, locals tried to flee the village and sought refuge to the neighbouring villages. However, shelling and siege on the neighbouring villages hindered their attempt to flee the village. Residents have stated, as well, that some locals had been killed by army troops when they fled the shelling. Abou Assa’ad, an eyewitness, stated that Yusuf al-Ubaid a 68-70 years old elderly man who fled the shelling was killed with gunfire at the outskirts of the village in al-Smaira to north of the village.<\/p>\n
The same source stated that two citizens from kafr Houd village- Waheed Adul Salam Qattash, the Imam and Sheikh of a mosque in At-Treimseh, a man in his forties, and his 17 years old son Taha Qattash- were killed as they tried to flee the village by going back to their village; army troops deployed at the road to Kafr Houd to the east of the village stopped them and killed them with gunfire. Then they tied the father’s body to a military vehicle and dragged it in the road before it was thrown in Abou Musaab al-Hasnou home where they burned the house.<\/p>\n
Eyewitnesses stated that residents sought refuge to schools and mosques of the village as they were almost sure that the there was no safe zone or exit whatsoever. They sought refuge to schools and mosques for protection from shelling because their buildings are stronger than normal homes. Whole families gathered in schools and mosques, but army troops targeted those schools and mosques killing and wounding a large number of people.<\/p>\n
Residents stated that shelling concentrated on schools and mosques and their surrounding areas for more than an hour. Then it moved to the outskirts of the village.<\/p>\n
Assad’s forces have shelled the village and its outskirts for 3 to 4 hours. Then armed vehicles and tanks stormed into the village. They battled with members of the Free Syrian Army, army defectors in the village some of whom are army officers from the village and some are civilians who defended their village, life and women, children fearing that the regime’s army would follow the example of other massacres. Many of those FSA members have been killed as they battled Assad’s regime forces and militias.<\/p>\n
Residents stated that FSA members defended the village. Assad’s regime army forced men and children out of the homes they searched and used them as human shields. Abou Assa’ad stated that army troops forced the young men of the village to walk in front of the regime’s army, and that a soldier killed two of them with an assault rifle; the two victims are: 1- Mukhlis al-Faris, 26 years old young man- 2- Mousaab Boulad<\/p>\n
Abou Assa’ad affirmed that another soldier who was angry because of this act argued angrily with the soldier who killed the two young men saying that those young men were unarmed. Then they received orders from behind from an older one to cut it out, so they abided by the orders.<\/p>\n
Ibrahim al-Hamdwi said that two civilian who defended the village with weapons were killed when they surrendered as they ran out of ammunition. Army troops arrested, beat, tortured and killed them with live gunfire. The two victims are 1- Salih Hussein al-Saba’awi, 36 years old and 2- Yahya Sail al-Hwayan, 25 years old.<\/p>\n
Military operation on the village went on till about 07:00 pm. Upon the regime’s army pull-out, residents went out to check the village, and they have been shocked with mass destruction inflicted on homes and buildings as well as the number of the casualties and the number of the wounded. Abou Ahmad stated that they have found a large number of bodies and affirmed that they had buried 70 bodies, including 40 women, in a mass grave. Then on the same day, they have buried many bodies they found in their search at night. He stated that on Friday fifteen other bodies have been found in Orontes River and different irrigation canals. Many bodies have been buried without being identified in the first two days as they had been completely burned out, added Abou Ahmad.<\/p>\n
Abou Assa’ad affirmed the statement made by Abou Ahmad and added that four other bodies have been found in farms and orchards surrounding the village Saturday, 14\/07\/2012.<\/p>\n
Abou Assa’ad affirmed that 15 bodies had been found in Ghazi al-Shammouti’s house on the first day; those bodies have not been identified as most of which were completely burned out. He stated that he has seen a body belonging to woman hugging two other bodies, completely burned children. Residents were not able to identify the bodies because families gathered in certain homes.<\/p>\n
However, Abou Assa’ad was able to identify one body, among many completely burned others, because it belonged to his relative who was transporting the wounded to this home that was used as a makeshift hospital before it was besieged by regime’s army troop who opened fire at all people inside. Then they burned the bodies.<\/p>\n
Eyewitnesses and residents affirmed that they have found 4 bodies in a burned car in addition to two other bodies in Shihadeh al-Yunis’s home.<\/p>\n
Residents and witnesses asserted that more than 100 unidentified bodies including 40 completely burned have been buried so far. Residents reported that they have not been able to identify the exact number of victims because army forces abducted some of the bodies. Abu Ahmad, an eyewitness, confirmed seeing ambulances and civilian cars collecting the bodies and taking them away. The same testimony was confirmed by Abu Assa’ad who added that he saw two small white Toyota trucks one of which had been stolen from at-Treimseh village during the military campaign. In the rear trunk of one of the trucks, he saw around 35 bodies and 40 bodies in the other. He saw the trucks leave with the army when it pulled out.<\/p>\n
Further, eyewitnesses also confirmed that a large number of people have gone missing and they do not know whether they have been killed or arrested. The residents estimated the number of those missing at more than 200 people. The huge exodus from the village after the assault as well as the communications cut-off in the following days made it hard to accurately identify the numbers of those missing. Residents estimated the number of those injured due to the shelling between 300-400 people.<\/p>\n
Residents and eyewitnesses were surprised to see Dr. Mohammad Satouf on Syrian TV on 15-07-2012 as he had disappeared during the army raid on the village. When he appeared on Syrian state TV, he acknowledged cooperation with terrorist gangs in the village. Abu Ahmad, Abu Assa’ad and Ibrahim al-Hamwi confirmed that there had been no such gangs in the village. The only armed people, according to them, were the defectors from the army and some of the village’s young men who joined the ranks of the Free Syrian Army as volunteers. The eye witnesses confirmed that Dr. Satouf enjoyed a good reputation and was known for his good manners. His contribution to the popular uprising in Syria in which his village, at-Tremseh, took part early on was restricted to providing medical care for those wounded in the protests. Likewise, Dr. Munsef Faisal al-Naji was undertaking the same mission when he received a gunshot in the head in the early Thursday morning as he was rescuing the injured.<\/p>\n
Witnesses have also confirmed that the number of armed people killed during the army raid in the village and who could be identified was no more than 10 (including defectors and civilian volunteers). The fate of the rest of the group remains unknown as it is unclear whether they had been killed and their bodies abducted, arrested or were able to flee the village.<\/p>\n
It is noteworthy that security and army forces prevented the international observers from entering the village on Thursday to investigate the facts on the ground. They were only able to gain access to the village 13 hours after the army’s pull-out.<\/p>\n
Media reports and stories related on the massacre stated the killing of more than 250 victims. However, SNHR & DCHRS have been not able to document and verify the names and identities of all the victims for many reasons:<\/p>\n
1- About one hundred and twenty victims have been buried, residents were not able to identify forty of which as they were completely burned.<\/p>\n
2- Security forces and army troops abducted large number of the bodies. They have not returned the bodies to victims’ families.<\/p>\n
3- Large numbers of citizens have gone missing as the Syrian regime authorities have not confirmed yet their death or detention to their families.<\/p>\n
4- The Syrian regime’s refusal to conduct credible, objective and transparent investigation into the crimes perpetrated on Thursday in Ar-Treimseh in addition to denying access for any other party to conduct an investigation into the massacre and denying access for independent media outlets into the Syrian lands to report ground situation objectively.<\/p>\n
Documentations:<\/p>\n
Rural Hama, Al-Treimseh: a Syrian citizen talks about the destruction of her house with a rocket, 13-07-2012<\/p>\n
http:\/\/youtu.be\/i3K0Ld_EXnQ<\/a><\/p>\n Rural Hama, Al-Treimseh:<\/p>\n Testimony by a citizen from Al-Treimseh about the massacre<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=SDP8JwKeFH4<\/a><\/p>\n Rural Hama, Al-Treimseh: Doctor\/Paramedic: Faisal An-Naji, 13-07-2012<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Pq3ZWUBXGjY<\/a><\/p>\n Rural Hama, Al-Treimseh: Doctor\/Paramedic: this victim had been brutally slaughtered, 13-07-2012, 18+<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_w_k–lM2ao<\/a><\/p>\n Rural Hama, Al-Treimseh: victims of the massacre, 13-07-2012, Part 2<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=NR1ZkKHbw1I<\/a><\/p>\n Rural Hama, Al-Treimseh: victims of the massacre, 13-07-2012, Part 1<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=vHXDI2l62fA<\/a><\/p>\n Rural Hama, Al-Treimseh: burying the victims, 13-07-2012<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wNmuSR6IPTY<\/a><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=bkrBQc-FAVA<\/a><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7wXm4jsKJHU<\/a><\/p>\n Rural Hama, Al-Treimseh: the arrival of the UN monitors with tanks, 14-07-2012<\/p>\n http:\/\/youtu.be\/TT3BHykgBjs<\/a><\/p>\n Rural Hama, Al-Treimseh: aftermath of destruction, 14-07-2012, Part 1<\/p>\n http:\/\/youtu.be\/Mj-90Oqiq4U<\/a><\/p>\n Rural Hama, Al-Treimseh: Burned homes, 14-07-2012<\/p>\n http:\/\/youtu.be\/pMpzMW9ooNE<\/a><\/p>\n Rural Hama, Al-Treimseh: \u00a0the shelling and the burning down of a school, 14-07-2012<\/p>\n http:\/\/youtu.be\/_CLjEYyT6wI<\/a><\/p>\n Rural Hama, Al-Treimseh: aftermath of the massacre, 14-07-2012<\/p>\n http:\/\/youtu.be\/vYJaEmubw2k<\/a><\/p>\n Rural Hama, Al-Treimseh: Residents’ testimonies, 14-07-2012, Part 1<\/p>\n http:\/\/youtu.be\/KBL-vcD3ePw<\/a><\/p>\n Rural Hama, Al-Treimseh: aftermath of the destruction, 14-07-2012, part 2<\/p>\n http:\/\/youtu.be\/oQQKYU9M1F0<\/a><\/p>\n Rural Hama, Al-Treimseh: Residents’ testimonies, 14-07-2012, Part 2<\/p>\n http:\/\/youtu.be\/0PSbl2H9Q0Y<\/a><\/p>\n The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) & the Damascus Centre for Human Rights Studies (DCHRS) strongly condemn this massacre of historic proportion which amounts to a crime against humanity, as well as all other massacres perpetrated by the Syrian regime against the Syrian people around the clock. SNHR & DCHRS hold the Syrian regime and Bashar al-Assad, head of state and Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian regime’s army, completely and directly responsible for all of those massacres and their implications and consequences. SNHR and DCHRS call on the United Nations and the UN Security Council to swiftly take all necessary measures to protect civilians and fulfil their legal and moral responsibilities by accelerating the indictment of all those responsible for the perpetration of these massacres to the International Criminal Court (ICC).<\/p>\n The documented victim list:<\/p>\n The following victims are the documented names which were identified by the citizens of the village. It is important to note once again that many victims were buried without verifying their names because their bodies were so burnt and disfigured they were past being identified. In addition, regime forces kidnapped dozens of bodies in ambulances. Citizens of At-Treimseh continue to search for more bodies of the missing in surrounding farms and ditches.<\/p>\n 1- Ahmad Yahya Addullah, 17.<\/p>\n 2- Ibn Muhammad Deeb Shuhab, 13.<\/p>\n 3- Ghassan Adnan Al-Hawwash, 16.<\/p>\n 4- Ahmad Khaled Al-‘Esaweyah, 12.<\/p>\n 5- Hussein Ali Rabee’Al-Hawari, 13.<\/p>\n 6- Mus’ab Khaled Al-Bulad, 26.<\/p>\n 7- Saleh Hussein Assab’awi, 36, was amongst the defected soldiers who were trying to defend the civilians.<\/p>\n 8- Munther Ibrahim Al-Ali Az’ait, 27.<\/p>\n 9- Milad Abdul-Kareem Darweesh, 28.<\/p>\n 10- Ahmad Mahmoud Addeleh, 55.<\/p>\n 11- Yaheya Sayel Hwayyan, 25, a defected soldier who was executed immediately after he surrendered himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n 12- Hussein Al-Fiddah, 30.<\/p>\n 13- Hameed Ayoub Al-Hameed, 26.<\/p>\n 14- Mus’ab Muhammad Al-Hameed, 27.<\/p>\n 15- Gheyath Hanthal, 27.<\/p>\n 16- Muhannad Sattouf Al-Harmalani, 25.<\/p>\n 17- Meelad Jehad Sattouf, 20.<\/p>\n 18- Abdul-Kareem Sattouf, 40.<\/p>\n 19- Munassef Faisal Annaji, 34, was wounded in the head, some doctors operated on him unsuccessfully.<\/p>\n 20- Khaled Muhammad Al-Mheyah, 6.<\/p>\n 21- Raed Abdur-Rahman Zwawi, 28.<\/p>\n 22- Jawad Waleed Hasyan, 27.<\/p>\n 23- Ahmad Hasyan, 27.<\/p>\n 24- Mukhles Al-Fares, 26.<\/p>\n 25- Nihad Seyar Annajm, 22.<\/p>\n 26- Ahmad Abu Nazeeh, 27.<\/p>\n 27- Ahmad Shehada Al-Buraqi.<\/p>\n 28- Ahmad Hamdo Nwairan.<\/p>\n 29- Ahmad Muhammad Matar, 26.<\/p>\n 30- Jalal Ibrahim Mut’ab, 26.<\/p>\n 31- Mahmoud Khaled Anna’es Al-Kharashi, 30.<\/p>\n 32- Hussein Anna’es Al-Kharashi, 25.<\/p>\n 33- Ali Deebo Al-hani.<\/p>\n 34- Suhaib Muhammad Al-Waheed, 27.<\/p>\n 35- Haytham Muhammad Assa’eed, 30.<\/p>\n 36- Nader Saleem Hijazi, 40.<\/p>\n 37- Hussein Khalfa Al-Umair, 26.<\/p>\n 38- The wife of Farouq Al-Baqour, 46.<\/p>\n 39- Khaled Ashaman, 36.\u00a0<\/p>\n 40- Naser Ashaman, 32.<\/p>\n 41- Ali Ashaman, 23.<\/p>\n 42- Yamen Al-Ghabash, 27.<\/p>\n 43- Mustafa Al-Kurdi, 28.<\/p>\n 44- Mahmoud Al-Khudarah, 35.<\/p>\n 45- Mahmoud Al-Khudarah, 33.<\/p>\n 46- Ahmad Waleed Addebu.<\/p>\n 47- Ziad Al-Hanthal.<\/p>\n 48- Muhammad Bakkour, 31.<\/p>\n 49- Hatem Shehadah Al-Yunus.<\/p>\n 50- Abdul-Kareem A-Ubaid, 60.<\/p>\n 51- Gheyath Al-Hanthal, 27.<\/p>\n 52- Hussein Hasano, 55.<\/p>\n 53- Nawaf Annajm, 40.<\/p>\n 54- Hussein Al-‘Askar, 52.<\/p>\n 57- Muhammad Hijazi.<\/p>\n 58- Muhannad Ali Addarweesh, 28.<\/p>\n 59- Yamen Abdu-Sattar Ashibat, 30.<\/p>\n 60- Waleed Abdu-Sattar Assabat, 27.<\/p>\n 61- Rami Abdu-Sattar Ashabbat, 24.<\/p>\n 62- Muhammad Fawzi Al-Hussein, 18.<\/p>\n 63- Wasel Ghazwan Ann’san (Al-Ghathwan), from Deemo.<\/p>\n 64- Umar Nimr Al-Hammoud, from Deemo, Hama.<\/p>\n 65- Waheed Abdul-Salam Qattash, from Kafr Houd, Hama.<\/p>\n 66- Mus’ab Al-Bulad.<\/p>\n 67- Ahmad Hajjak, from Aqrab, Hama, defected sergeant.<\/p>\n 68-71- Four victims killed from Deemo, their names have not been verified.<\/p>\n Syrian Network for Human Rights – London & SNHR:<\/p>\n Website: www.syrianhr.org<\/a><\/p>\n Email: press@syrianhr.org<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n DCHRS:<\/p>\n Website: www.dchrs.org<\/a><\/p>\n
\nDamascus Center for Human Rights Studies – Syria<\/u><\/p>\n