Syria detains Assad-era general accused of role in past protest crackdowns

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Syrian authorities detained former Major-General Mohammed Ali Durgham, a high-ranking officer who served in the Fourth Division under the previous regime. The Internal Security Forces accused Durgham of participating in the 1982 Hama massacre and issuing direct orders to shoot unarmed protesters in the Damascus countryside in 2011. This arrest follows the December 2024 overthrow of Bashar Al-Assad by the group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which has initiated a series of detentions to hold former officials accountable for past abuses.

Consequences

The arrest signals a continued effort by the current authorities to systematically pursue and prosecute security officials associated with the former regime. This ongoing series of detentions suggests a broader policy of institutional purging intended to address grievances related to the previous government's long history of violence.

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