Syria: Mayor accused of Assad association executed

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.”

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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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