U. S.: Syria is executing prisoners, burning bodies

New photographs unveiled as evidence of a crematorium

WASHINGTON The State Department accused the Syrian government Monday of using a newly built crematorium to dispose of political prisoners killed at a notorious prison.

An estimated 50 people a day are being hanged at the Sadnaya military prison, said Stuart Jones, acting assistant secretary for the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs.

“We believe that the building of a crematorium is an effort to cover up the extent of mass murders taking place in Saydnaya prison,” Jones said.

“If you have that level of production of mass murder, using a crematorium would allow you to handle that number of corpses coming out of Sadnaya prison,” Jones added.

He also accused Russia of supporting Syria’s actions.

“We have talked to the Russians about their apparent tolerance of Syrian atrocities,” Jones said.

Jones presented a series of black- and- white satellite photographs of the Saydnaya prison complex and a nearby compound identified as a “probable crematorium.” Side- by- side photos from 2013 and 2017 show that new features appear in the more recent image from an area outside the suspected crematorium building. The new features are identified as “discharge stack,” “probable air intake,” “HVAC” ( heating ventilation and air conditioning) and a “probable firewall.”

The briefing was based on newly declassified information, said State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert.

Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government hanged 13,000 prisoners over five years at the prison, Amnesty International reported in February.

More than 400,000 people have been killed in the Syria conflict, Jones said, citing the United Nations and credible human rights organizations.

“The regime must stop all attacks on civilians and opposition forces, and Russia must bear responsibility to ensure regime compliance,” Jones said.

The allegations come on the heels of last week’s visit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and President Trump in which all three expressed a desire for better relations between the United States and Russia.

OMAR HAJ KADOUR, AFP/ GETTY IMAGES Syrian civilians and rebels evacuated from the Qabun district in northeast Damascus arrive at a temporary camp in Idlib province Monday. Syria has been embroiled in a civil war since 2011.