Syria arrests Assad general accused of massacre and protest crackdown
Syria arrested Major-General Mohammed Ali Durgham. He is accused of taking part in the 1982 Hama massacre. He is also accused of ordering troops to shoot unarmed protesters in 2011.
Syria's Internal Security Forces announced the arrest of Durgham on Monday. Mohammed Ali Durgham is accused of taking part in the Hama massacre in 1982.
Then-president Hafez al-Assad began a brutal assault on the central city of Hama. The assault killed between 10,000 and 40,000 people over nearly a month.
Durgham also faces charges of ordering troops to fire on unarmed protesters. These protesters were in the Damascus countryside in 2011.
Mohammed Ali Durgham was a field commander in the army's Fourth Division. He held this position between 2009 and 2013.
The arrest is part of a broader effort by Syria's new government. Officials from the former regime are being pursued.
The new government is led by figures from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebel group. This group overthrew President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
The authorities have arrested dozens of former security officials since his overthrow. Another former major-general was detained last week for war crimes and arbitrary detentions.
- Major-General Mohammed Ali Durgham
- General arrested
- December 2024
- Regime change date
- Dozens of former security officials
- Arrests since overthrow
Why it mattersThe arrest shows that Syria's new authorities are working to hold accountable those responsible for decades of systematic violence and repression under the old regime.
AustraliaNo direct Australian effect yet, but the case reflects global efforts to pursue accountability for state crimes after regime change.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 12 d ago
