Houla massacre

Houla massacre
Part of the Syrian Civil War
Mass burial of Houla massacre victims.
Location	Houla, Homs, Syria
Coordinates	34°53′7″N 36°30′42″E / 34.88528°N 36.51167°E / 34.88528; 36.51167Coordinates: 34°53′7″N 36°30′42″E / 34.88528°N 36.51167°E / 34.88528; 36.51167
Date	May 25, 2012
Deaths	108, including 25 men, 34 women and 49 children (per U.N. observers)
Non-fatal injuries	300
Perpetrators	Shabiha and Syrian military (concluded by UN investigations)

The Houla massacre (Arabic: مجزرة الحولة‎‎) was an attack that took place on May 25, 2012, in the midst of the Syrian Civil War, in the town of Taldou, in the Houla Region of Syria, a string of towns northwest of Homs. According to the United Nations, 108 people were killed, including 34 women and 49 children. While a small proportion of the deaths appeared to have resulted from artillery and tank rounds used against Taldou, the U.N. later announced that most of the massacre's victims had been "summarily executed in two separate incidents". UN investigators have reported that some witnesses and survivors stated that the massacre was committed by pro-government Shabiha. In August 2012 UN investigators released a report which stated that it was likely that Syrian troops and Shabiha militia were responsible for the massacre, concluding that: "On the basis of available evidence, the commission has a reasonable basis to believe that the perpetrators of the deliberate killing of civilians, at both the Abdulrazzak and Al-Sayed family locations, were aligned to the Government. It rests this conclusion on its understanding of access to the crime sites, the loyalties of the victims, the security layout in the area including the position of the government’s water authority checkpoint and the consistent testimonies of victims and witnesses with direct knowledge of the events. This conclusion is bolstered by the lack of credible information supporting other possibilities."

The Syrian government alleged that Al-Qaeda terrorist groups were responsible for the killings, and that Houla residents were warned not to speak publicly by opposition forces. This account received support from a report published by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, but is contested by most media coverage and by the U.N. Human Rights Council's report published in August 2012.

Channel 4 news reported that Houla residents stated that the Syrian military and government-hired Shabiha were the perpetrators of the massacre, as claimed by opposition groups. Townspeople described how Shabiha, who were thought to be men from Shia/Alawite villages to the south and west of Houla (Kabu and Felleh were named repeatedly) entered the town after several hours of shelling. According to one eyewitness, the killers had written Shia slogans on their foreheads (the Alawi faith is a Shia sect).