Mass grave found at former state security headquarters in northern Syria

By Fekry Abdeen and Rania Abu Shamala

ISTANBUL (AA) - Syrian authorities have discovered a mass grave inside a former headquarters of the State Security Directorate in the northern city of Maaret al-Numan, local media reported on Tuesday.

The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) published five photos showing an abandoned building with pits inside believed to be graves, while security personnel and a vehicle bearing the insignia of the Criminal Investigations Department were seen outside.

Less than two weeks ago, Syrian authorities found a mass grave in the village of Turkan in eastern Aleppo countryside in northern Syria.

At the time, the state-run Alikhbaria channel said the grave contained “unidentified remains believed to belong to victims who were killed under torture or through field executions by forces of the former regime.”

Since the removal of the Bashar al‑Assad regime in December 2024, numerous mass burial sites have been uncovered across Syria, the largest of which was near Damascus.

Syrian citizens say the fall of Assad’s regime marked the end of a decades-long era of fear, with its prisons having become nightmares of torture, arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances.

The newly established Syrian government has repeatedly stated that holding accountable those responsible for crimes under the previous regime will remain a priority.

Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia last December, ending the Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963. A new transitional administration headed by President Ahmad al-Sharaa was formed in January.