An Assad loyalist was executed in public by fighters linked to the country’s new Islamist-led administration, according to a Syria war monitor.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said fighters shot Mazen Kneneh in the head on the street in Dummar, a suburb of the capital Damascus, on Friday morning. The area has been considered the safest part of the city since the start of the Syrian civil war.
Videos circulating online appeared to show the man’s slumped body tied to a tree trunk, his leather jacket and jeans bloodied from a bullet wound to the head.
Footage showed children gathered around the body, some filming with their mobile phones and others beating the body with sticks or kicking the corpse in the head.
One child, wearing bright-green sliders, could be seen repeatedly punching the lifeless body in the head in front of the baying crowd.
The Britain-based war monitor said fighters accused the local official of being an informant under the ousted president Bashar al-Assad, describing him as “one of the best-known loyalists of the former regime”.
It said he was “accused of writing malicious security reports that led to the persecution and jailing of many young men” who were tortured in prison under Assad, whose rule came to an end on Dec 8. While it was not immediately clear what Kneneh’s role was under the Assad regime, unconfirmed reports online described him as being the mayor of Dummar.
A separate photograph purportedly showing Kneneh was shared widely on social media following the news of his death. It showed a man sitting at a table looking into the camera, wearing a light-brown blazer and a silver watch on his wrist. It was not clear when the photo was taken.
In recent days, Syrian authorities launched security sweeps targeting “remnants of the regime” of the deposed leader in several areas. Anas Khattab, the new General Intelligence chief, has pledged to overhaul the security apparatus, denouncing “the injustice and tyranny of the former regime, whose agencies sowed corruption and inflicted suffering on the people”.
The purported act of aggression comes at a time of uncertainty surrounding the response of Syria’s new rulers to loyalists of the Assad regime.
The transitional authorities, appointed by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) which led the offensive that toppled Assad last month, have sought to assure religious and ethnic minorities that their rights would be upheld.
HTS also announced that it had granted amnesty to all military personnel conscripted into service during Assad’s rule.
Ahmed Al-Sharaa, the head of the HTS who was formerly known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani surprised observers with his pursuit of diplomacy, apparent rejection of revenge against supporters of Assad and promises to protect Syria’s minority groups.
He had previously stated that the group would pursue former senior Assad government officials which he said were responsible for torture and war crimes.
“We will not hesitate to hold accountable the criminals, murderers, security and army officers involved in torturing the Syrian people,” he said, adding: “We will offer rewards to anyone who provides information about senior army and security officers involved in war crimes.”
Mohammed Kanjo Hassan, a former top military official who issued death sentences for detainees in Damascus’s infamous Sednaya prison, was arrested by the new administration last month.
The Damascus authorities did not immediately reply to requests for comment on the videos.
