State Department accuses Assad regime of building 'a crematorium' to 'dispose of bodies'

Syrian boy holding flag.
(Image credit: LOUAI BESHARA/AFP/Getty Images)

The State Department believes the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has "installed a crematorium at Sednaya prison, to dispose of bodies," said Stu Jones, America's top diplomat for the Middle East. Jones disclosed the newly declassified information at a press conference Monday.

The State Department said that as many as 50 prisoners are being hung daily at the military prison, located just outside the Syrian capital of Damascus, where thousands have been detained during the country's ongoing civil war. The crematorium is thought to be used to obfuscate the scale of the killings.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us