Mazen Kneneh, believed to be the mayor of Dummar, was one of the most infamous loyalists of the Assad regime
TELEGRAPH | Published January 11, 2025
An Assad loyalist was executed in public by fighters linked to the country’s new Islamist-led administration, according to a Syria war monitor.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said fighters shot Mazen Kneneh in the head on the street in Dummar, a suburb of Damascus, the capital, on Friday morning. The area has been considered the safest part of the city since the start of the Syrian civil war.
Videos circulating online appeared to show a man’s slumped body tied to a tree trunk, his leather jacket and jeans bloodied from a bullet wound to the head.
Footage showed children gathered around the body, some filming with their mobile phones and others beating the body with sticks or kicking the corpse in the head.
One child, wearing bright-green sliders, could be seen repeatedly punching the lifeless body in the head in front of the baying crowd.
The Britain-based war monitor said fighters accused the local official of being an informant of Bashar al-Assad, the deposed president, describing him as “one of the best-known loyalists of the former regime”.
It said he was “accused of writing malicious security reports that led to the persecution and jailing of many young men” who were tortured in prison under Assad, whose rule came to an end on Dec 8. While it was not immediately clear what Kneneh’s role was under the Assad regime, unconfirmed reports online described him as being the mayor of Dummar.
A separate photograph purportedly showing Kneneh was shared widely on social media following the news of his death. It showed a man sitting at a table looking into the camera, wearing a light-brown blazer and a silver watch on his wrist. It was not clear when the photo was taken.
In recent days, the Syrian authorities have targeted “remnants of the regime” of the deposed leader in several areas. Anas Khattab, the new intelligence chief, has pledged to overhaul the security apparatus, denouncing “the injustice and tyranny of the former regime, whose agencies sowed corruption and inflicted suffering on the people”.
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SOURCE: www.telegraph.co.uk
RELATED: Syria: Mayor accused of Assad association executed
Soldiers of Military Operations Command, take part in a “security operation” against the toppled Baath regime’s soldiers, who did not surrender their weapons, in Homs, Syria on January 2, 2025. [Celal Tellavi – Anadolu Agency]
HOMS, SYRIA – JANUARY 2: Soldiers of Military Operations Command, take part in a “security operation” against the toppled Baath regime’s soldiers, who did not surrender their weapons, in Homs, Syria on January 2, 2025. ( Celal Tellavi – Anadolu Agency )
MIDDLE EAST MONITOR | Published January 11, 2025
Local gunmen, on Friday morning, publicly executed the mayor of Dumar, a neighbourhood in the suburbs of Damascus, who was accused of being linked to Bashar Al-Assad’s regime, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The Observatory reported that Dumar’s mayor, Mazen Kneneh, who was considered one of the most well-known figures loyal to the former regime in the area, was executed by local elements from the Military Operations Administration, which assumed power in Syria on 8 December.
According to the Observatory, Kneneh is accused of writing malicious security reports, which led to the persecution of many young men in the area and their imprisonment, where they were subjected to torture.
The report added that Kneneh: “Is considered the main reason for many residents’ suffering, as his actions led to many young people losing their lives or suffering injustice.”
Director of the Observatory Rami Abdul Rahman confirmed that the execution took place on Friday morning in a public square in front of a number of residents.
A photo was circulated of what was said to be Kneneh’s body tied to a tree trunk with what appeared to be a gunshot wound on his forehead and blood on the ground.
A video was circulated showing children beating him with a stick and kicking him in the head while he was tied to the tree trunk. The Observatory validated the authenticity.
The new authorities did not comment on the news of Kneneh’s execution. They launched several security campaigns in different areas of the country to pursue those associated with the former regime, resulting in the arrests of many.
The new Syrian intelligence chief, Anas Khattab, pledged to “restructure” the security system in the country after dissolving all its branches, according to reports by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) in December.
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SOURCE: www.middleeastmonitor.com
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