Nayyouf: 1,500
Lebanese Buried in Tadmor Mass Grave
Syrian
journalist Nizar Nayyouf revealed in an open letter to French President Jacques Chirac the
existence of mass graves in Tadmor in which 13,000 to 17,000 prisoners lie including
around 1,500 Lebanese. Nayyouf, who came out of a questioning by his country's secret
service, sent an open letter to President Chirac on the occasion of Syrian President
Bashar Assad's visit to France.
The following is an English transliteration of Nayyouf's letter:
"President Jacques Chirac
I would firstly like to thank you and the French government for the noble and responsible
stance you took regarding my personal case, especially in the last couple of months.On the
occasion of President Assad's visit to France, a visit we hope to be constructive for our
two peoples, I hope the issue of the human rights in my country would be a top priority on
the agenda, especially regarding political prisoners, and the issue of the mass grave
related to the Tadmor jail containing bodies of around 13,000 to 17,000 political
prisoners who perished because of torture in jail (around 1500 Lebanese, in addition to
Syrians, Jordanians, Palestinians…).
Mr. President
I was released on May 6 and I am under house arrest, prevented from travelling abroad, and
namely France, to receive medical treatment.
I suffer from partial paralysis due to the monstrous torture I went through during my
incarceration from January 2, 1992 to May 6, 2001, in addition to other diseases.
I hope you pursue your noble efforts to solve these issues.
Rest assured that our people has great hopes for the visit and especially in facing
Syria's 'old guard' who is always trying to hinder President Bashar's program."