On Saturday 30 June 2012 in the morning, the Syrian regime’s security forces raided the city of Zamalka in al-Ghouta al-Sharqia to the east of the Syrian capital Damascus. They opened gunfire around 11:00 a.m., killing Abdul Hadi al-Halabi and injuring many others.
Zamalka residents then held the traditional funeral procession for the victims by marching to the Great Mosque. Security forces then wired a bomb to a car and put it along the path that the mourners would march along. When mourners passed by it, security forces carried out the explosion, killing at least 72 citizens and wounding 400 others in just a single minute.
A video filmed by a local that shows the car bomb blast just as the funeral procession goes by.
SNHR and DCHRS verified this information by contacting ten different local eyewitnesses. All ten of the eyewitnesses are still alive and can be contacted by any authority or organization. These eyewitnesses confirmed that security forces were deployed near al-Tawba Mosque where the car bomb was planted. In addition, Zamalka Revolution Committee published news, prior to the blast, noting that many suspicious cars had entered the city and that the security forces stationed at checkpoints had removed their uniforms and dressed in civilian clothing.
About 4,000 citizens walked in the funeral procession for the victim Abdul Hadi al-Halabi. They marched from the victim’s home towards the Great Mosque and as they passed the al-Tawaba Mosque at 6:40 p.m. the car bomb exploded.
Security forces immediately besieged the city. They denied medical aid for the wounded and killed a doctor, Jamal Tabranin, with sniper fire while he gave aid to the wounded. There is hard evidence that proves the Syrian regime did not give aid to the wounded rather they chased them down and killed them. Some of the wounded were transported to the city of Kafr Batna’s hospital al-Fatih Hospital. Security forces followed the transports, besieged the hospital and attacked both the wounded receiving medical attention and the doctors providing it.
**WARNING: THE VIDEO BELOW CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES**
A video showing the wounded and dead inside a makeshift hospital immediately following the blast. The wounded are given treatment using only basic medical tools and without the basic necessities like sanitized areas to perform medical operations. Residents of Zamalka refuse to transport them to public or private hospitals because regime forces have threatened to arrest and kill them.
By a field visit to the site of the crime and by contacting relatives of the victims, SNHR & DCHRS have verified and documented the names of 72 victims killed in the blast. SNHR & DCHRS notes that there are lost citizens whose whereabouts have not been confirmed. This fact makes it likely that the number of victims of the massacre will increase.
The mass burial of about 80 victims of the car bomb.
All information and videos provided by: