• «لا حدا يصوّر… اقتلوهم بدون تصوير».
• «قضاء حوائجكم بالكتمان».
• «لا تصوّروا، هالمقاطع بتضرّ الجيش والدولة».
• «كرمال الله لا حدا يصوّر، الله يحمي جيشنا».
• «اللي عم يصوّر مندس ضد الدولة».
• «لا تأخذكم فيهم رأفة ولا رحمة»

Perpetrating parties:
Jihadists

members

of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Interior affiliated with the de facto authority, under the leadership of Abu Mohammad al-Jolani (Ahmed al-Sharaa), with the participation of tribal groups loyal to the authority, alongside foreign fighters known as “Muhajireen and Ansar,” and members of the Grey Wolves organization.

Amid chants of “Allahu Akbar,” the aforementioned parties carried out collective field executions at point-blank range, in addition to beheadings by knife (slaughtering) against civilians and detainees from the Kurdish community, constituting a grave violation of international humanitarian law.

The killings were accompanied by explicit calls to refrain from filming and to conceal the crimes, under the pretext of “not harming the state,” indicating prior awareness of the criminal nature of the acts and a deliberate attempt to destroy evidence.

Examples of accompanying inciting statements (as recorded):
• Calls to kill without documentation or filming.
• Incitement to show no “mercy or compassion.”
• Accusations that those documenting the crimes are “infiltrators against the state.”
• Use of religious language to justify killing and concealment.

These acts constitute:
• War crimes under the Geneva Conventions.
• Extrajudicial executions.
• Grave violations of the rights of detainees and civilians.
• Public incitement to violence and obstruction of evidence, amounting to criminal complicity.

Public calls to prohibit filming are considered an integral part of the crime itself, as they represent an organized effort to prevent documentation and accountability.

Recorded statements include:
• “Don’t film… kill them without filming.”
• “Fulfill your acts in secrecy.”
• “Don’t film—these videos harm the army and the state.”
• “For God’s sake, don’t film—may God protect our army.”
• “Whoever films is an infiltrator against the state.”
• “Do not show them any mercy or compassion.”

The young man, Elie Simon Takla, was deliberately shot by masked assailants who had been lying in wait for the vehicle he was in. They waited until his father exited the car and turned to open the back door and retrieve a bag before opening fire on Elie as he entered the building, resulting in his martyrdom. The perpetrators then fled the scene.

⚠️ The evidence indicates that this was not a random robbery attempt, but a deliberate targeted attack against him. The motive traces back to ongoing threats received by the son of the jeweler since an incident two years ago, when he faced an attempted fraud/assault inside the jeweler’s shop by two individuals. The two were later arrested by the police and sentenced to prison (it is said—but not confirmed—that one of them died in prison). Since then, the jeweler’s son has received continuous death threats from actors associated with the de facto authority.

• The car used by the assailants was stolen, and the license plates were also stolen from a transport bus.
• 🏴‍☠️ Syria has thus become a hub for gangs and terrorism, where acts of violence and threats against unarmed civilians on a sectarian basis are increasingly systematic and organized.

A solidarity vigil was held at the Holy Cross Church in Damascus for the family of the martyr Elie Simon Takla . Participants voiced their rejection of a culture of crime and gangs, as well as the spread of weapons, and demanded their right to a dignified life.

• 🕊️ In a solemn procession, the city of Mahardah bid farewell to the beautiful young man Elie Simon Najjar (Takla), where prayers were held over his pure body at St. George Cathedral before he was laid to rest in the town cemetery.

May his memory be eternal, and may his soul rest in mercy and peace with the righteous and the saints. Deep condolences to his family, friends, and loved ones.