Published : 04-12-2025
Damascus – The Action Group
revealed today the findings of a wide-ranging investigative report published by “Damascus Dossier” in collaboration with several media outlets and human rights organizations. The report details the leak of approximately 134,000 documents and photographs from the archives of the Syrian regime’s security services. According to the investigation, these documents reveal systematic torture and killings within prisons and detention centers between 2015 and 2024.
What the Leaks Includes
Among the leaked materials are more than 70,000 photographs of victims’ bodies—mostly detainees—showing signs of starvation and severe torture prior to death.
Analysis of a sample of 540 photographs showed that approximately 75% of the victims were starving at the time of death, while at least two-thirds had sustained clear physical abuse, and nearly half were naked—indicating the brutal nature of the torture. (This analysis is part of the investigative report.)
The leaked documents also reveal a bureaucratic structure for torture and execution: orders issued from high-ranking regime officials to liquidate detainees, and the documentation of killings through photographs as part of “proof of execution.” (According to the report.)
The context and implications of the leak
According to the investigation, the leak came from a former Syrian officer who worked within the “evidence unit” of one of the regime’s security branches before defecting and leaving the country, carrying a copy of the archive.
Media outlets cooperating with “Damascus Dossier” stated that they employed months of verification and analysis before publication, including comparison with testimonies from relatives of missing detainees and metadata analysis within the photographs and documents.
What's new compared to previous leaks
According to the investigation, these leaks are far broader and more detailed than the previous leaks known as the Caesar Files, which first appeared in 2014–2015.
While the Caesar Files were limited to approximately 11,000 to 50,000 photographs of victims who died between 2011 and 2013, the new documents reveal the regime's apparent ability to continue its “machine of repression and execution” in the years that followed, up to 2024.
Potential repercussions:
The human rights and investigative source believes that this material could constitute three-dimensional evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Syrian regime authorities, which could be used in future international or national trials.
Thousands of families still searching for their missing loved ones may find photographs of them in this archive, and perhaps an opportunity to document their fate or demand justice.
The report confirms that impunity — despite international exposure — has not prevented the regime from continuing with the same approach of repression, which raises questions about the effectiveness of previous international positions.
International reactions and human rights stances:
These leaks have sparked a wave of calls for accountability for former officials in the Syrian regime. Several human rights organizations have demanded urgent action through international reports and called for criminal investigations. Some sources have also suggested that the new photos and documents will be added to the “regime's crimes archive” at international courts.
What was revealed today represents a qualitative leap in the amount of documentation available for the crimes of Bashar al-Assad's regime—between a massive digital archive and clear physical evidence, a historic opportunity has emerged for the international community and human rights actors to hold perpetrators of violations accountable and uncover the fate of thousands of victims and families who are still waiting for the truth.
Damascus – The Action Group
revealed today the findings of a wide-ranging investigative report published by “Damascus Dossier” in collaboration with several media outlets and human rights organizations. The report details the leak of approximately 134,000 documents and photographs from the archives of the Syrian regime’s security services. According to the investigation, these documents reveal systematic torture and killings within prisons and detention centers between 2015 and 2024.
What the Leaks Includes
Among the leaked materials are more than 70,000 photographs of victims’ bodies—mostly detainees—showing signs of starvation and severe torture prior to death.
Analysis of a sample of 540 photographs showed that approximately 75% of the victims were starving at the time of death, while at least two-thirds had sustained clear physical abuse, and nearly half were naked—indicating the brutal nature of the torture. (This analysis is part of the investigative report.)
The leaked documents also reveal a bureaucratic structure for torture and execution: orders issued from high-ranking regime officials to liquidate detainees, and the documentation of killings through photographs as part of “proof of execution.” (According to the report.)
The context and implications of the leak
According to the investigation, the leak came from a former Syrian officer who worked within the “evidence unit” of one of the regime’s security branches before defecting and leaving the country, carrying a copy of the archive.
Media outlets cooperating with “Damascus Dossier” stated that they employed months of verification and analysis before publication, including comparison with testimonies from relatives of missing detainees and metadata analysis within the photographs and documents.
What's new compared to previous leaks
According to the investigation, these leaks are far broader and more detailed than the previous leaks known as the Caesar Files, which first appeared in 2014–2015.
While the Caesar Files were limited to approximately 11,000 to 50,000 photographs of victims who died between 2011 and 2013, the new documents reveal the regime's apparent ability to continue its “machine of repression and execution” in the years that followed, up to 2024.
Potential repercussions:
The human rights and investigative source believes that this material could constitute three-dimensional evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Syrian regime authorities, which could be used in future international or national trials.
Thousands of families still searching for their missing loved ones may find photographs of them in this archive, and perhaps an opportunity to document their fate or demand justice.
The report confirms that impunity — despite international exposure — has not prevented the regime from continuing with the same approach of repression, which raises questions about the effectiveness of previous international positions.
International reactions and human rights stances:
These leaks have sparked a wave of calls for accountability for former officials in the Syrian regime. Several human rights organizations have demanded urgent action through international reports and called for criminal investigations. Some sources have also suggested that the new photos and documents will be added to the “regime's crimes archive” at international courts.
What was revealed today represents a qualitative leap in the amount of documentation available for the crimes of Bashar al-Assad's regime—between a massive digital archive and clear physical evidence, a historic opportunity has emerged for the international community and human rights actors to hold perpetrators of violations accountable and uncover the fate of thousands of victims and families who are still waiting for the truth.
