Hama, Feb. 2 (SANA) — Hama Governor Abdul Rahman al-Sahyan affirmed that the 1982 Hama massacre committed by the ousted regime constitutes an irrefutable truth that the regime at the time sought to conceal, stressing that the city’s will remained unbroken and that the events will never be erased from national memory despite repeated attempts at distortion.
In a post on X on Monday, al-Sahyan said: “On the commemoration of the 1982 Hama massacre, we do not recall the past out of grief, but bring it forward as a truth that the Assad clique tried to bury in blood.” He added that what took place was a deliberate decision to devastate the city and crush its resolve, but ultimately exposed a system that, he said, “knew no form of rule other than killing.”
al-Sahyan continued: “Today, after the victory of the Syrian revolution and the liberation of Hama and Syria, memory pulses once again to confirm that the blood of the martyrs was not shed in vain, and that truth remains alive regardless of the passage of time.”
The anniversary of the Hama massacre falls on Feb. 2, 1982, when forces of the ousted regime stormed the city, initiating one of the gravest tragedies in modern history. Hama was subjected to a suffocating siege, indiscriminate shelling, summary executions and mass arrests that lasted 27 days.
The assault resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands, the enforced disappearance of thousands more and the destruction of entire neighborhoods, after residents resisted repression and asserted their demands for freedom.
Syrians believe that commemorating the massacre will preserve historical truth, honor the victims and hold accountable those responsible for crimes committed against the Syrian people.
