Damascus, Sept 7 (V7N) – Syrian authorities on Monday announced the arrest of a former major general accused of involvement in the bloody repression of peaceful protests in 2011 and the 1982 Hama massacre, as the new government continues its pursuit of former regime officials .
Security forces said they arrested former Major General Mohammed Ali Durgham, a prominent officer in the military establishment during Bashar al-Assad's ousted regime, in the coastal city of Tartous . He is accused of "issuing direct orders to his units to fire on unarmed demonstrators in the Damascus countryside" during the 2011 anti-government protests .
Durgham served as a field commander in the army's feared Fourth Division—commanded by Assad's brother Maher al-Assad—between 2009 and 2013 . He has been under European Union sanctions since 2012 for his role in the repression .
According to the Interior Security Forces, early career records show Durgham served as a squad commander in the Defence Brigades during the 1982 Hama events . In February 1982, then-President Hafez al-Assad launched a brutal crackdown in Hama against an armed Muslim Brotherhood revolt, with death toll estimates ranging from 10,000 to 40,000 .
Since Bashar al-Assad's overthrow in December 2024, Syria's new authorities have arrested dozens of former security officials, with trials beginning in April . In August, a Syrian court sentenced Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher, and five other security officials to death in absentia for atrocities committed during the civil war .
Durgham will be referred to the judiciary after interrogations conclude, with investigations ongoing to document the charges against him . The arrest is part of broader efforts to pursue transitional justice and hold accountable those responsible for crimes against the Syrian people .
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