The government forces exhume the graveyards and steal the bodies in Homs city
During June 2014, government forces took over the city of Old Homs after a truce was agreed upon and the armed opposition withdrawn. Like any other previous truce, government forces betrayed the residents and didn’t respect the truce which was expected considering that government forces violated every resolution adopted by the Security Council.
Government forces violated the truce and didn’t let the residents go back to their homes even if they weren’t with the armed opposition. There were some minor exceptions such as what happened in Al-Hamidiya neighborhood, which is of a Christian majority, and Al-Warsha and Bab Dried neighborhood to a less extent.
Furthermore, government forces haven’t reconstructed the damaged water and power grids which were destroyed by the government forces’ ceaseless aerial and artillery bombing after two years of siege.
On Thursday 22 January, 2015, government forces (the term refers to military forces, security forces, local militias and foreign militias) enclosed the Rajoub family diwan (A place where the family meeting are held) in Bab Dried neighborhood and Ash-Shaikh Kamel Mosque garden in Bostan Ad-Diwan neighborhood and imposed a curfew in the neighborhood. Then, government forces exhumed graves and stole about 20 corpses.
SNHR contacted a resident of the area, Mrs. Sumiya, who offered us his testimony:
“I heard some news, from some of the residents who live near Rajoub family diwan, about government forces enclosing and stealing some of the corpses that were buried in the diwan garden. During the process, government forces threatened people and ordered them to stay away. ”
“On the next day, I tried to get near the place and from Ash-Shaikh Kamel mosque garden, which also was exhumed, and i found out that they exhumed and took the corpses. Also, I saw some of the graves exhumed but the corpses weren’t taken where government forces covered it with some bushes and trash.”
“The number of graves that were exhumed in Rajoub family diwan was more than five while the number of graves that were exhumed in Ash-Shaikh Khamel Mosque was huge.”
“I heard from some of the residents that they put the corpses they took in plastic bags and nobody knows where they took it.”