Uncovering Syria's State-Run 'Machinery of Death'

Mass grave sites in Syria reveal evidence of a state-run system responsible for over 100,000 deaths via torture. Former U.S. war crimes ambassador Stephen Rapp highlights similarities to Nazi-era atrocities. Residents recount horrific scenes, calling for accountability and transparent judicial processes.

An international war crimes prosecutor has revealed startling evidence from mass grave sites in Syria, highlighting a state-operated 'machinery of death' under the former regime of Bashar al-Assad. The prosecutor estimates over 100,000 individuals were tortured and killed since 2013.

Former U.S. war crimes ambassador Stephen Rapp compared the systematic killing to the atrocities committed during Nazi rule, citing detailed operations involving secret police, jailers, and dumpers who meticulously concealed the bodies. The grim discovery came after visiting grave sites in Qutayfah and Najha, near Damascus.

Residents near these grave sites, fearing retribution, shared chilling accounts of seeing refrigeration trucks delivering bodies to trenches. Calls for accountability arise as victims' families demand justice through transparent legal means to prevent further cover-ups of these human rights violations.

(With inputs from agencies.)