Damascus, SANA – At the 12th anniversary of the chemical massacre committed by former regime in Rif Dimashq, Ministry of Culture organized a conference titled “Syria’s Massacres: An Undying Memory: Documentation for the Trial.”
The conference aims to commemorate the massacres committed by the former regime against the Syrian people, including the chemical weapons massacre in Damascus countryside, and to preserve Syrian memory by documenting these crimes and achieving justice.
Live Testimonies Tell the Unforgettable
At the conference, hosted by Habib Palace Hall in the city of Darayya, two documentaries about the crimes of the former regime against civilians and innocents, the bombing of the city’s neighborhoods, the systematic destruction of its buildings, and the displacement of its residents, were shown.
Live testimonies were also presented to the audience via recorded video interviews by eyewitnesses from the city during that era.
These interviews revealed the tragedy experienced by the people of Darayya over the course of four years, including the displacement of approximately 100,000 of its residents which was described by Syrian and international human rights organizations as a war crime.
In his speech, Minister of Culture Mohammad Yassin al-Saleh said, “Daraya returns to us, carried on the wings of pain, like a bereaved mother searching for the damage in the faces of her children. She carries with her unhealed wound, her unfading memory, and her martyrs who have never left our consciousness”.
“We are not here to reopen the wound, but rather to say that the wound has become an identity, that blood has become a covenant, and that the cry that emerged from the hearts of the children of Darayya has not been extinguished.” The minister added.
He emphasized that “Daraya has become a city of conscience, a gateway to salvation, and a trust that we swear will not let its sacrifices be in vain, and that Syria will remain a homeland worthy of the blood of its men, women, and children.”
Director of the Cultural Centers at the ministry, Anas Al-Daghim, told SANA “We remember this crime so that we may remain steadfast and resolute, not to let this tragedy be repeated.”
Some of Daraya’s people, recounted the suffering they experienced during the siege of the city saying that today’s event is a “crucial key to documenting massacres so that they are not repeated anywhere in the world”.
Syrian social and political historian Muhannad al-Katea saw commemorating these massacres as an opportunity to shed light on the situation in the Syrian Jazira and the massacres committed there, particularly in Hasakah Governorate.
He compared them to the horror of what happened in Darayya and called for the Syrian media to pay attention to the Jazira region due to its economic, cultural, and historical importance to Syria.
The conference’s media coordinator and documentarian, Tamam Abu al-Khair, said: “We know that the road to justice is long, and that our wounds run deep”, but nations must be built on truth, not lies.
He called for remembering those massacres as a daily commitment to tell the story, preserve the lesson, and prevent its recurrence. He pointed out that in the face of the machinery of oppression and denial, memory becomes a weapon.
Abdul/
