Syria denies killing prisoners, burning bodies in crematorium

THE SYRIAN government has denied accusations by the US a crematorium had been built at one of its prisons that could be used to dispose of detainees’ remains.

A foreign ministry statement published by state news agency Sana said the US administration had come out with “a new Hollywood story detached from reality” by alleging the crematorium had been built at Sednaya military prison near Damascus.

Stuart Jones, acting US assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs, said on Monday US officials believed the crematorium could be used to dispose of bodies at a prison where they believe Assad’s government authorised the hanging of thousands of inmates during Syria’s six-year-old civil war.

Amnesty International reported in February an average of 20 to 50 people were hanged each week at the Sednaya military prison.

Between 5 000 and 13 000 people were executed at Sednaya in the four years since a popular uprising descended into war, it said. The government also denied that accusation.

Amnesty said the executions took place between 2011 and 2015, but were probably still being carried out and amounted to war crimes.

In a briefing on Monday, Jones showed aerial images of what he said was the crematorium at the Sednaya site.

Jones also said Assad’s government had carried out air strikes, chemical attacks, extra-judicial killings, starvation, and other measures to target civilians and its opponents. He criticised Russia and Iran for maintaining their support for Assad despite those tactics.