The criminal who turned my beloved city of Hama into a theater of mass atrocity has died, leaving wounds etched permanently into the memory of its people and the conscience of every Syrian who stood with them. Yet any sense of relief is bitter and incomplete as his family continues to enjoy the hundreds of millions of dollars he looted from Hama and from the Syrian people; it is incomplete because I had hoped to see him held accountable on Syrian soil after the collapse of his family’s brutal rule. He died before the people of Hama could witness him humiliated behind bars, publicly confronted with the crimes of murder, rape, forced displacement, and systematic looting inflicted upon them. He died without facing his victims, without confession, and without a judgment that might have restored a measure of dignity to memory and justice. The stolen wealth must be relentlessly pursued and recovered, and the full truth must be established. Shame and disgrace be upon his sons and daughters who justified his crimes and who lived, ate, and were educated with the blood and suffering of the Syrian people.
Rifaat al-Assad, the “Butcher of Hama” in 1982, is Dead
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Fadel Abdulghany
Founder and Head of the Syrian Network for Human Rights from June 2011 to date.
Master’s in International Law (LLM)/ De Montfort University/ Leicester, UK (March 2020).
Bachelorette in Civil Engineering /Projects Management / Damascus University.
Master’s in International Law (LLM)/ De Montfort University/ Leicester, UK (March 2020).
Bachelorette in Civil Engineering /Projects Management / Damascus University.
© 2023 SNHR - Fadel Abdul Ghany.