On Saturday, August 30, 2025, local residents found the remains of two civilians during excavation work to build a house in an area between the villages of al-Qabu and al-Awsiya in the western Homs countryside. The remains were transferred to al-Walid Hospital in Homs city. The area is under the control of the transitional government.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights notes that the issue of missing persons and mass graves in Syria is one of the most complex human rights issues, as tens of thousands of families still do not know the fate of their relatives who were forcibly disappeared during the years of armed conflict.
We are continuing our investigations, including reviewing and collecting more evidence and information. Therefore, we hope that anyone with information or details related to this incident will provide it to us via our official email address: [email protected]
Legal Conclusions:
- The presence of the remains of individuals believed to be civilians killed during the armed conflict suggests the possibility of extrajudicial killings or mass executions, which constitute crimes against humanity.
- Any tampering with the site or unlawful burial of victims constitutes the destruction of forensic evidence related to serious international crimes, threatening the right to truth and obstructing access to justice and redress.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights’ recommendations:
- Immediately freeze the site as an international crime scene and prevent any tampering with forensic evidence by any party until the arrival of specialized forensic teams and international criminal investigations.
- Involve Syrian civil society, families of missing persons, and victims in investigation and documentation mechanisms, and provide psychological and legal support to families as soon as victims’ identities are identified.
- Launching a unified national and international database for missing persons, with the aim of matching DNA with victims and helping thousands of families learn the fate of their loved ones, as a central step in the transitional justice process.
