Torture Photos from "Caesar"/Photo Timeline

The following seeks to organize at least many of the "Caesar" photos into a timeline and correlate details as possible. The pictures database of the Syrian Association for Missing and Conscience Detainees (SAFMCD) is used for reference, along with previously published photos, claimed identifications, opposition VDC entries, and other sources.

All folders at the SAFMCD site (auto-translated from Arabic), in order of size:
 * 215 - secret raids and intrusions - 3,556 photos
 * 227 - Zone Branch (Damascus) - 2,047 photos
 * Air Force Intelligence Branch - 390 photos
 * 216 - periodicals Branch - 297
 * 235 - Palestine Branch - 128
 * "Anonymous branch": 109
 * 251 - Internal branch - the state security: 103
 * "Sporadic views": 71
 * 248 - military investigation Branch - 54
 * 220 - Sasa branch: 50
 * Military Police Branch: 45

Total photos = 6,850. All but a very few are victim face-shots, with very few repetitions (at least six cases, but citation needed). Therefore, estimates of alleged detainees of these branches in the mid-to-upper 6,000 range seem well supported.

Furthermore, the time-span seems limited. Images are said to run back to early 2012, but it seems so far very few images appear (in folders dated) before November 1, 2012. However, that's a giant folder and stretches back over an unclear span. From there they come in heavily, with folder names like 3-2013, 7-7-2013, and running up to August 14, 2013 - so covering mainly a nine-month span, depending when all the images in the November folder were taken (dates seem to be when created, and even that's not necessarily correct).

At right is a graphic to explain the numbers referred to below. The top victim number, allegedly, was assigned by the branch of military intelligence indicated below that. The bottom number is set at hospital 601 morgue, apparently by the team taking the "Caesar" photos. "SAFMCD code #" is their index, irrelevant, but useful for searches etc. (on each photo of theirs in red). "Original name" is the photo title as given by SAFMCD with each linked entry. It seems to say branch-victim#-date(d-mm-yyyy)-(number in sequence of photos of the same victim?). As for the victim the numbers in this photo are attached to, see Branch 227 below.

Select and random victims by branch number (in the order above), then victim number.

Branch 215
some unclear strays to work in (re-set points, typos, or what?):


 * 0 -- none -- 806948 http://www.safmcd.com/martyr/view.php?id=3976 -- 215-000-2-12-2012 (2)
 * 0 -- none -- 686239 -- 215-000-2-2013 (9) -- young
 * 8 -- -- 274882 http://www.safmcd.com/martyr/view.php?id=3988 -- 215-0008-7-6-2013 (2)
 * 11 -- -- 774319 http://www.safmcd.com/martyr/view.php?id=3990 -- 215-11-14-8-2013 (2) -- left eye?
 * 131 137832 -- 215-131-3-2013 (2)
 * 197 -- 377904 http://www.safmcd.com/martyr/view.php?id=3996 -- 215-197-2-2013 (2)
 * 829 453067 -- 215-829-2-2013 (2)

The Other Half
All above sections deal with the half (28,707) of the "Caesar" photos (per HRW's December report) showing an estimated 6,786 alleged government detainees. A slightly smaller half (24568) was said by HRW to show "attack sites or of bodies identified by name as of government soldiers, other armed fighters, or civilians killed in attacks, explosions, or assassination attempts." It seems perhaps none of these have been publicly released. Here's a table in case any turn up.

Earliest Entries
"In the beginning, they put a name on each corpse, but after a while – a few weeks or a month – it was just numbers." - Caesar, as quoted here (original source unclear) Names do appear in the early stretch, where the numbers start out small in mid-2011. However, it seems numbers start even before names do, by a couple of months, and the names are very few - one a month, some months.

It seems easy enough to consider the entire first year or so, up to May, 2012. From the images so far processed after an aggressive search, this is perhaps all of the entries for 2011, or missing very few if so. 43 individuals, 3 duplicates, 46 photos total. By month (6-digit number can be searched in the box at right on an entry, like the first one linked to) Many of these could be earlier hospital number insertions (see ), but the numbers aren't really clear. However the numbers do at least start small and grow slowly, like a sequential hospital number. And some already seem re-branded from that into prisoner ID#s.

March, Aril, 2011
 * none

5-2011
 * j-000-5-2011 (3)_1-237682
 * j-201-5-2011 (2)-831463

6-2011
 * 227-001-6-2011 (1)-598347
 * j-88-6-2011 (1)_1-272009

7-2011
 * none

8-2011
 * 000-8-2011 Ismail Mumina (4)-438909
 * j-002-8-2011 (9)_1-922620
 * j-002-8-2011 (16)_1-275894

9-2011
 * j-000-9-2011 (1)_1-822755
 * j-000-9-2011 (11)_1-540798
 * 001-9-2011-intelligence department (14)-225756
 * 001-9-2011 Intelligence Department (18)-836406

10-2011
 * j-001-10-2011 (35)_1-596520 (note: at least 35 photos of this one guy, this being #35)
 * j-002-10-2011 (7)_1-415687

11-2011
 * 11-2011-Ahmed Hawas (1)-326048
 * 003-11-2011 (1)-332781
 * 003-11-2011 (22)-644748 (photo #22 of this same man)
 * 006-11-2011 (24)-696543
 * 007-11-2011 (1)-202174
 * 008-11-2011 (1)-009087
 * j-008-11-2011 (1)_1-695911
 * 012-28-11-2011-intelligence department (5)-124358
 * 013-28-11-2011-security military (3)-920475

12-2011
 * j-005-12-2011 (1)_1-520963
 * 019-12-2011 (1)-287255
 * 1263-12-2011 Intelligence Department (1)-728792
 * 1263-12-2011 Intelligence Department (9)-027601

2012: This is less likely to be complete, but probably fairly close. First 5 months: 59 photos) 1-2012
 * Ibrahim al-Hur 1-2012-990937
 * 003-1-2012-Sednaya Prison (1)-994579
 * 055-1-2012 (3)-110107
 * j-69-1-2012 (9)_1-319497
 * j-70-1-2012 (5)_1-425855
 * j-71-1-2012 (16)_1-294731
 * j-72-1-2012 (15)_1-251399
 * 261-1-2012-Musa Hammoud (4)-332262
 * 1270-1-2012 (5)-941539
 * 1277-1-2012 (1)-342103

2-2012
 * 215-909-2-2012 (2) (typo - clearly fits with 2-2013 victims)

3-2012
 * 007-3-2012-threen (3)-003774
 * 008-3-2012-tshreen (1)-443043
 * 009-3-2012-tshreen (1)-799459
 * 010-3-2012-tshreen (1)-721341
 * 026-3-2012-tshreen (1)-705336
 * 179-3-2012-tshreen (3)-773184
 * 188-3-2012-tshreen (1)-377830
 * j-191-6-3-2012 (4)-860827

4-2012
 * (misplaced?) j-4-2012 (1)(Mohammed Noureddine Salkini)-968749

5-2012 (partial) ...
 * j-000-5-2012 (3)_1-149266
 * 215-0001-5-2012 (8)-735248
 * 215-0002-5-2012 (3)-194272
 * 002-5-2012-intelligence department (2)-880331
 * j-004-5-2012 (2)_1-418106
 * 293-001-5-2012 (5)-789799
 * j-352-5-2012 (1)-001763
 * j-353-5-2012 (2)-929766
 * j-364-5-2012 (1)-531390
 * mp-371-5-2012 (1)-716074
 * 227-372-5-2012 (2)-632999
 * 409-5-2012 (3)-962117
 * 251-428-5-2012 (3)-067407
 * 434-5-2012 (1)-534770
 * 435-5-2012 (3)-568500
 * 445-5-2012 (1)-895722
 * 563 1-5-2012 Alaa Yahya Alddar Rabha-406665

May's numbers run mainly to 445, with the named 563 being an oddball entry. Caesar's claim of names and then numbers seems wrong - the two are mixed from the start, and stay that way until May, 2012, barely. From there, names don't seem to appear at all.

In May the numbers pick up some - 39 photos there, 75 in June (picking up at 456 or earlier), 57 in July, and at least 35 in August, which may cut way short - there are no more folders until November with over 400 photos in it (no final count yet, if ever). And from there the deaths remain very high until August, 2013.

By Hospital Number
This seems to be the simplest, most logical, and most likely official of the numbers seen. It seems to be simply ane entry per body, and the numbers tick up to almost 10,000. Mapping these is perhaps the best way to get a feel for the timeline of the Caesar photos.

Verifying the Switch at 5,000

Hospital Numbers Timeline


 * (other content moved to talk page - new section)

Early Entries Re-Branded?

 * (moved to talk page - new section)