Ruth Sherlock

His account tallies with what our witnesses, the former prisoners at Said Naya, told us, right down to the timings. They said the killings happened on Wednesday nights and he says the bodies often arrived on a Thursday.

Both the gravedigger and Abu Fadi, the excavator driver, said they were horrified by their work, but too terrified for their safety to stop. The gravedigger on the phone eventually managed to flee the country, and Abu Fadi says he did what he could to work slowly and poorly until eventually he was fired.

Both the gravedigger and Abu Fadi, the excavator driver, said they were horrified by their work, but too terrified for their safety to stop. The gravedigger on the phone eventually managed to flee the country, and Abu Fadi says he did what he could to work slowly and poorly until eventually he was fired.

Both the gravedigger and Abu Fadi, the excavator driver, said they were horrified by their work, but too terrified for their safety to stop. The gravedigger on the phone eventually managed to flee the country, and Abu Fadi says he did what he could to work slowly and poorly until eventually he was fired.

It's right about now, during this phone call in the car on the way back from the mass grave site, that the strangest thing happened. I know it! Abu Fadi realises he knows the guy on the phone, the gravedigger. In the middle of these grim stories, a sort of reunion, there's a kind of joy, almost hilarity in the car. It feels maybe like a release after the horror. Mustafa interprets for us.

It's right about now, during this phone call in the car on the way back from the mass grave site, that the strangest thing happened. I know it! Abu Fadi realises he knows the guy on the phone, the gravedigger. In the middle of these grim stories, a sort of reunion, there's a kind of joy, almost hilarity in the car. It feels maybe like a release after the horror. Mustafa interprets for us.

It's right about now, during this phone call in the car on the way back from the mass grave site, that the strangest thing happened. I know it! Abu Fadi realises he knows the guy on the phone, the gravedigger. In the middle of these grim stories, a sort of reunion, there's a kind of joy, almost hilarity in the car. It feels maybe like a release after the horror. Mustafa interprets for us.

They're in tears at this point, and remember the plots they hatched, small rebellions against this awful work.

They're in tears at this point, and remember the plots they hatched, small rebellions against this awful work.

They're in tears at this point, and remember the plots they hatched, small rebellions against this awful work.

Perhaps for these men it's about not being so alone in reliving this period of their lives and about connecting in this shared realisation that it is all over. Assad is gone.

Perhaps for these men it's about not being so alone in reliving this period of their lives and about connecting in this shared realisation that it is all over. Assad is gone.

Perhaps for these men it's about not being so alone in reliving this period of their lives and about connecting in this shared realisation that it is all over. Assad is gone.

The thing about the Assad government is that they kept meticulous notes. So every person that was detained and disappeared and what happened to them, all of that was written down in every intelligence branch. And there are dozens of them, even just around Damascus. There are these piles of documents with all this information about what happened to these people.

The thing about the Assad government is that they kept meticulous notes. So every person that was detained and disappeared and what happened to them, all of that was written down in every intelligence branch. And there are dozens of them, even just around Damascus. There are these piles of documents with all this information about what happened to these people.

The thing about the Assad government is that they kept meticulous notes. So every person that was detained and disappeared and what happened to them, all of that was written down in every intelligence branch. And there are dozens of them, even just around Damascus. There are these piles of documents with all this information about what happened to these people.

But the thing is, it's hard for the new authorities to secure all that. One of the problems is manpower. And also there's so much else going on in that moment. And the problem is these documents are exposed. I think some places have been secured now. But when we were there, you know, in Sednaya prison, there was documents just flying around and people trampling all over them.

But the thing is, it's hard for the new authorities to secure all that. One of the problems is manpower. And also there's so much else going on in that moment. And the problem is these documents are exposed. I think some places have been secured now. But when we were there, you know, in Sednaya prison, there was documents just flying around and people trampling all over them.

But the thing is, it's hard for the new authorities to secure all that. One of the problems is manpower. And also there's so much else going on in that moment. And the problem is these documents are exposed. I think some places have been secured now. But when we were there, you know, in Sednaya prison, there was documents just flying around and people trampling all over them.

In one case, I heard about some Bedouin sheep herders had used some documents they found to kind of burn a fire to keep warm outside. And this is a possible trove of evidence if it can be secured in time. And a lot of that will be extremely valuable to be able to, you know, hold trials and bring those responsible for these atrocities to justice.