Syria arrests former Assad-era major general linked to Hama massacre and 2011 protests

Former Major-General Mohammed Ali Durgham is accused of involvement in the 1982 Hama massacre and the 2011 crackdown on unarmed demonstrators.

Published On 7 Sep 20267 Sep 2026

Syrian authorities announced the arrest of a former general from the Assad era who stands accused of participating in a massacre and overseeing a brutal crackdown on protesters.

The Internal Security Forces reported on Monday that they had apprehended former Major-General Mohammed Ali Durgham, who is accused of involvement in the 1982 Hama massacre and of ordering the shooting of unarmed demonstrators in 2011.

This arrest follows a series of detentions as Syria’s new government, led by former Hayat Tahrir al‑Sham (HTS) officials who ousted President Bashar al‑Assad in December 2024, seeks to hold former regime figures accountable.

The statement described Durgham as “a prominent officer in the military establishment during the former regime’s era.”

He is accused of issuing direct orders to fire on unarmed protestors in the Damascus countryside.

A 2011 Human Rights Watch report cited a Syrian army defector who said Durgham was among the generals who “ordered troops to shoot at protesters when his unit was deployed in and around Damascus.”

From 2009 to 2013, Durgham served as a field commander in the army’s Fourth Division, which was led by Assad’s brother Maher al‑Assad.

According to authorities, Durgham began his career as a squad commander in the Defence Brigades during the 1982 Hama Governorate events.

The siege lasted nearly a month, resulting in an estimated death toll between 10,000 and 40,000 people.

Durgham’s arrest is part of broader efforts to prosecute former officials accused of crimes and abuses under the previous regime.

Since the overthrow of Bashar al‑Assad in December 2024, Syria’s new authorities have detained dozens of former security officials.

The state‑run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that former Major‑General Jalal Kamel Saqr was detained last week for his involvement in war crimes and arbitrary detentions.

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