Syrian private airport plans spark outcry over mass graves, land rights
Rights groups warn excavation could damage suspected graves and evidence at a site where more than 1,150 detainees died, investigators said.
- Syrian authorities announced plans last week to reclassify the Mezzeh military airport in Damascus for limited civilian use, establishing a hub for private and executive aviation to complement Damascus International Airport.
- During the Assad-era, Mezzeh housed Air Force Intelligence Directorate detention facilities where suspected opponents were tortured and executed. Documents show officials approved the site for executions in 2012, describing it as a "closed security compound."
- The Syria Justice and Accountability Centre , a U.S.-based Syrian-led human rights group, warned on September 8 that construction could disturb two suspected grave sites containing remains of more than 1,150 detainees, urging immediate site protection.
- Residents in Moadamiya protested the redevelopment, citing decades-old expropriation of private land covering 2.76 sq km. "We welcome investment, but we should be sitting at the table," organizer Abu Khaled stated.
- This project tests whether Syria's new authorities can balance investment drives with unresolved legacies, including property rights clouded by decades of expropriation and the search for missing Syrians.
14 Articles
14 Articles
The project to convert the Maza military airport into a civilian airport faces two major challenges. The first is the protests by the people of Ma ' adiyah al-Sham to acquire their land, and the second is the announcement by human rights organizations of the existence of mass graves within the airport ' s territory.
Contentious Conversion: Former Syrian Airport Faces Mass Grave Allegations
The Syrian government's plan to convert Mezzeh military airport into a private jet hub has sparked concerns over potential disturbances to suspected mass graves and unresolved property rights. Rights groups and residents express alarm over redevelopment activities, emphasizing the need for investigations and respect for land claims.
Al-Monitor
Syrian private airport plans spark outcry over mass graves, land rights
By Feras DalateyDAMASCUS, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Syrian government plans to turn a former military airport in Damascus into a hub for private jets are raising alarm among rights groups and residents who say redevelopment could disturb suspected mass graves and override private land claims.
Syrian private airport plans spark outcry over mass graves, land rights
Syrian government plans to turn a former military airport in Damascus into a hub for private jets are raising alarm among rights groups and residents who say redevelopment could disturb suspected mass graves and override private land claims.
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