Syria reclassifies Mezze airbase for private flights despite mass grave concerns
This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.
Syria's Civil Aviation Authority has reclassified Mezze military airport to handle private and administrative flights supporting Damascus International Airport. The decision has drawn criticism from Syrians and rights groups who say the site was used for mass executions and may contain mass graves. The Syrian Justice and Accountability Center has documented over 1,150 detainee deaths at Mezze and identified two suspected mass grave sites.
Key Facts
- Syria's Civil Aviation Authority reclassified Mezze military airport to handle private and administrative flights in support of Damascus International Airport.
- The Syrian Justice and Accountability Center (SJAC) documented over 1,150 detainee deaths at Mezze and identified two suspected mass grave sites.
- SJAC sent coordinates of suspected graves to Syria's National Commission for Missing Persons in July 2025 and demanded a halt to excavation and construction until examination is completed.
- On September 8, SJAC sent a second letter warning that debris removal and excavation could damage human remains and evidence.
- Amer Matar, founder of the Syrian Prisons Museum, called building an executive airport on the site without prior examination 'an act of extreme irresponsibility and disrespect.'
Airport Reclassification
Syria's Civil Aviation Authority decided to reclassify Mezze military airport to open it to private and administrative flights, supporting Damascus International Airport. After the announcement, debris removal and infrastructure work began at the site. The project aims to attract investment but has sparked debate over the neglect of identifying missing persons.
Mass Grave Evidence
Documents obtained by the US-based Syrian Justice and Accountability Center (SJAC) and shared with Reuters show senior Syrian military officials approved Mezze as an execution site for detainees sentenced by military field courts in 2012. The documents instruct moving executions from Sednaya Prison to Mezze, a secure area near Damascus, and building a platform in a hangar next to the runway, with work conducted in secrecy. SJAC's 2025 research found more than 1,150 detainees died at Mezze and identified two suspected mass grave sites in the area. In July 2025, SJAC sent coordinates of the suspected graves to Syria's National Commission for Missing Persons and demanded a halt to excavation and construction until examination is completed.
Calls for Protection
On September 8, SJAC sent a second letter warning that debris removal and excavation could damage human remains and evidence. Amer Matar, founder of the Syrian Prisons Museum, said building an executive airport on a site that may contain mass graves without prior comprehensive examination, site protection, search for the missing and their remains, and preservation of evidence is 'an act of extreme irresponsibility and disrespect.'
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