Following the fall of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad regime, families who identified their loved ones in photographs taken by a whistleblower codenamed “Caesar” showing victims tortured to death by the regime hope that legal proceedings will ensure justice for the perpetrators.
With the collapse of the Baath regime, the photos taken by “Caesar,” a military officer tasked with documenting corpses brought to military hospitals during the civil war, have gained renewed attention.
The images, which reportedly depict approximately 11,000 victims aged between 20 and 40, reveal the systematic torture and inhumane treatment carried out by the regime.
Yasmin Mashaan, a founding member of the Caesar Families Association, told Anadolu about the photographs’ impact on legal processes and their significance for families of detainees.
She said that association members have identified loved ones through these photos and continue their efforts to locate individuals who were detained, tortured or whose whereabouts remain unknown.
“No family in Sednaya has been able to recover their loved ones' bodies,” she said. “We are striving to learn the fate of the missing.”
Now living in Germany, Mashaan recounted her personal tragedy of recognizing her brother in Caesar’s photos and losing four other siblings in Syria.
“For families, the most important thing is to learn about the final moments of their loved ones and to achieve the justice they deserve,” she emphasized.
“Despite the magnitude of the regime's crimes, we continue our pursuit of justice with hope.”
Reopened wounds
Mashaan pointed to the pain that families endure during the identification process, noting they only have the photos of their loved ones.
“Despite the evidence, the absence of funerals or body handovers continues to reopen wounds,” she said.
She said they are working with the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) to identify mass grave sites, recover remains and determine their identities.
Mashaan also criticized Russia, China and the Assad regime for obstructing justice through pressure on the international community.
“We have entered a transitional period,” she said, highlighting ongoing efforts to support released prisoners and their families.
She noted that many detainees require extensive physical, psychological and medical care, while some families have lost hope due to the lack of accessible information about their loved ones.
Concrete results
While the association does not have direct contact with Caesar, it works with individuals close to him, including a person codenamed “Sami.”
“The files we have obtained are a strong start for accountability and are nearly ready,” she said. “We are in contact with the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM), to whom we provide evidence and documents.”
The IIIM is a United Nations organization established in 2016 by the UN General Assembly in a landmark vote. It is mandated to assist in the investigation and prosecution of individuals responsible for committing the most serious international crimes (including war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide) in Syria since March 2011.
The photos Caesar took between May 2011 and August 2013 show injuries on corpses, documenting the torture and killings carried out in military facilities.
“We have achieved tangible results with the fall of the regime,” Mashaan said, adding they await an international decision to bring the case to the International Criminal Court (ICC) or establish a special tribunal for Syria.
She also highlighted the importance of a case filed by Canada and the Netherlands against Syria under the 1984 UN Convention Against Torture.
“We are now in the post-regime period, and all perpetrators will be held accountable,” she said.
Mashaan noted the progress in cases in France and Germany, where some senior regime officials have been convicted or face arrest warrants.
She said the association communicates with individuals who were detained alongside their deceased loved ones to gather details about their final moments.
“One of our wishes is to know their last words,” she said.
According to international reports, Sednaya Military Prison, located 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from Damascus and under the regime's Defense Ministry, became a notorious detention center for anti-regime protesters after the 2011 uprisings.
Reports reveal that mass executions at Sednaya between 2011 and 2015 resulted in nearly 50 people being hanged every week or every two weeks.
They also highlight that detainees were deliberately kept in inhumane conditions, subjected to torture and systematically deprived of food, water, medicine and medical care.
A 2017 investigation by Amnesty International concluded that murders and torture at Sednaya since 2011 were part of a widespread and systematic attack on Syria’s civilian population, constituting crimes against humanity.
Assad, Syria’s leader for 24 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus early Sunday, ending the rule of the Baath Party, which had been in power since 1963.