Douma Massacre (late October)
This incident occurred on the night of October 23, 2012, in the northeast Damascus suburb of Douma. A residential building was raided by disputed parties, and at least 25 men, women, and children were brutally executed.
Reuters reported on the incident early the following day:
- Opposition activists and Syrian state media traded blame on Wednesday for the killing of at least 25 people, including women and children, in the town of Douma near Damascus. "There was a horrible massacre in Douma last night," the media office of the opposition network in Douma said in a statement. "More than 20 civilians have been slaughtered by (pro-government militia) shabiha who were at a checkpoint and then stormed into a residential building nearby." [1]
A Douma-based activist named Mahmoud Doumany, told Reuters "that he had the names of 20 of the dead but that 10 were too disfigured to be identified. "People now are scared and very angry. Some of the martyrs were killed with knives, others were shot," he told Reuters." [1]
- Opposition video showed images of corpses wrapped in blankets and of the bodies of women and children, one of whom had a hole in his head and another had part of his face missing. "God is great," said a man off screen, his voice trembling as he walked around the house, filming bodies on several floors of a residential building. [1]
Douma has seen clashes and massacres and complete loss of government control in the past. In late June, a government re-conquest was accompanied by a less clear spate of killings on the streets, in a hospital, and inside homes. In mid-August, a rebel militia from neighboring Harasta abducted numerous apparently loyalist men, making videos with them as captives. 16 of these soon turned up dead and dumped, their throats sliced, allegedly, by Assad loyalists.
The government claims Douma was, as of October 23, rebel-held, outside their control.
- Syrian state television said 25 people had been killed by "terrorist members of the so-called 'Liwa al-Islam.'" State media labels opposition members as "terrorists." The Syrian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the Syrian army was not present in the area."" [1]
More Sources
Some information was provided at the time on Facebook by "The General Authority for Civil Defence in Douma and its Surroundings " ( الهيئة العامة للدفاع المدني في مدينة دوما وما حولها - Civil.Defense.Douma) - a pre-White Helmets group, already active for "months" prior to re-organization just before a starting post of 11 September, 2012).
- https://www.facebook.com/Civil.Defense.douma/posts/515628578449216?__tn__=-R several gory photos (still available on Facebook in 2019) of 24-10 Douma Eid massacre "On the eve of Arafat's night"
- a video https://www.facebook.com/Civil.Defense.douma/posts/466918693331497?__tn__=-R
- another https://www.facebook.com/Civil.Defense.douma/posts/272514552869474?__tn__=-R
- and yet another https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgokQL09AfU
- Photo of girl with fatal head wound: https://www.facebook.com/Civil.Defense.douma/photos/a.498999500112124/515955881749819/?type=3&theater "(bunch of religious appeals) The child who executed a field execution with her family in the city of douma 24.10.2012" (app. not identified here, maybe lost in translation)
Identified Fatalities
Civil Defense Douma list
Civil Defense Douma posted a photo to commemorate (trans.) "Martyr Hero Hossam Abdul Roof in the process of breaking the martyrs barrier, 24.10.2012" https://www.facebook.com/Civil.Defense.douma/photos/a.498369526841788/607107659301307/?type=1&theater
That's not the same "barrier" the "Shabiha" massacre broke and came in through, by chance? If so, they'd say he died defending it from the break. But only one death (all mentioned) is more consistent with the price of victory than with the kind of defeat that would leave them unable to protect the nearby families.
A list of 20 killed was provided by the same Civil Defense Douma [2]
عاجل دوما :24.10.2012
مجزرة جديدة في دوما راح ضحيتها
1 الشهيدة الطفلة شهد الشام القبيطري
2 الشهيدة الطفلة راما القبيطري
3 الشهيدة نور الدين القبيطري
4 الشهيد سامي الجندي
5 الشهيد دياب الصفدي
6 الشهيد موفق الصفدي
7 الشهيدة لين القبيطري
8 الشهيد غياث الأيوبي
9 الشهيد خالد الجندي
10 الشهيد عصام الدين القبيطري
11 خالد عبد الناصر دياب
12 الشهيد محمد خلدون الجندي
13 الشهيد صهر ال الصفدي
14 الشهيدة زوجته من أل الصفدي
15 الشهيدة بنت دياب الصفدي
16 الشهيدة البطلة رشا العابد
17 الشهيدة هبة عرق سوسي
18 الشهيدة أم فهد العابد
19 الشهيدة مجهولة لشدة التشوه لم يتعرف عليها
20 الشهيد الطفل المجهول لشدة التشوه
حسبي الله فيكم يا حكام المسلمين والله سوف ننتقم
May Allah reward you, O Muslim rulers, and Allah will avenge us
The Douma-based VDC lists 28 civilians in the martyr's database that seem to be victims of this event.
VDC Records
20 local civilians killed by "field execution" - 8men, 1 boy, 8 women, 3 girls - 6 named Safadi, 5x Koubaitari 3x Abed
- Shahed al-Sham Essam al-Din al-Koubaitari Child - Female
- Rama Essam al-Din al-Koubaitari Child - Female
- Nour al-Din Essam al-Din al-koubaitari Child - Male
- Diab al-Safadi Adult - Male
- Moafak al-Safadi Adult - Male
- Leen al-koubaitari Adult - Female
- Geyath al-Ayobi Adult - Male
- Esaam al-Din al-Koubaitari Adult - Male
- Khaled Abdelnaser Deyab Adult - Male
- Souzan al-Na'al Adult - Female
- Betool Diab al-Safadi Adult - Female
- Rasha al-Abed Adult - Female
- Heba Ereq Sosei Adult - Female
- Aum Fahed al-A'abed Adult - Female
- Unidentified Adult - Female
- Molaz al-A'abed Adult - Male
- Nael al-Refae'e Adult - Male
- Merwa Deyab al-Safadi Adult - Female
- Maram Deyab al-Safadi Child - Female
- Mohannad Deyab al-Safadi Adult - Male
Adding to those 20 are 8 displaced civilians killed in Douma, from Harasta, Jobar, Latakia, and mainly a family of 5 named Joundi, from Maaret al-Nouman, Idlib. Some are liste as shelling instead of field execution, but are included.
Joundi family:
- Khaldoun Mohmaad Mou'tasam al-Jendi
- his wife Eyman Abdullah al-Ghannam "martyred with her husband and 2 of her sons" or actually 3.
- Khaled Khaldoun al-Joundi Adult - Male
- Sami Khaldoun al-Joundi Child - Male
- Mohammed Khaldoun al-Goundi Adult - Male
Eyman Abdullah al-Ghannam is said to be killed by shelling, but so is the girl shown by CDD: Rahaf Shiba from Harasta was "Martyred Due to regime`s shelling"
And the VDC lists 3 militants killed in Douma by snipers and/or in the liberation of a martyr's checkpoint
- Mohammed Samer Abdelazez, from Douma FSA martyred during liberation of Sahat Shuhadaa
- Hosam Abdo Abd al-Ra'ouf, fr. Douma FSA Known as (Abu Basel), martyred by regime forces sniper gunfire
- Majed Sami al-Modalal fr. Harasta, FSA, killed in Douma by sniper
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Children among 25 shot, knifed in Syria: oppositionReuters, 11:17 am October 24 2012.
- ↑ [https://www.facebook.com/Civil.Defense.douma/photos/a.498999500112124/515623581783049/?type=3&theater The General Authority for Civil Defence in Douma and its Surroundings, Facebook post, 24 October, 2012.