Damascus Airport Plans Stir Mass-Grave Fears

Syria’s new authorities plan to convert Damascus’ former Mezzeh military airport into a limited-use hub for private and executive jets, with rubble removal and infrastructure work already underway. The project has alarmed rights groups and local residents, who fear construction could disturb suspected mass graves and destroy evidence about people who disappeared or died under Bashar al-Assad’s rule. Documents obtained by the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre indicate that Air Force Intelligence approved Mezzeh in 2012 as a site for executing detainees sentenced by military field courts, with a firing range and hangar considered as execution locations. The site also housed detention facilities where opponents were allegedly tortured, executed and forcibly disappeared; one investigation linked more than 1,150 detainee deaths to Mezzeh and identified two possible burial sites. The redevelopment has also revived disputes over land allegedly expropriated without compensation, underscoring the challenge of attracting investment while addressing Syria’s unresolved human-rights abuses, missing persons and property claims.