The Syrian government plans to convert the former Mezzeh military airport into a private‑jet hub, a move that has sparked alarm among rights groups and residents who fear the redevelopment could disturb suspected mass graves and override private land claims.
Last week, Syria’s civil aviation authority announced it was reclassifying Mezzeh for limited civilian use, focusing on private and executive aviation to complement Damascus International Airport. Rubble removal and infrastructure upgrades had already begun, the agency said, citing a report from the state news agency SANA.
Human‑rights investigators from the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC) have documented that Mezzeh was used for executions and other abuses during the Assad era. The centre identified two suspected grave sites linked to more than 1,150 detainees who died at the base, and warned that construction could destroy evidence vital to identifying victims. SJAC’s letters to the National Commission for Missing Persons urged authorities to halt any excavation until the sites were investigated.
The dispute also touches on long‑standing land‑rights issues. Mezzeh was built on 2.76 sq km of private property in 1956, with compensation never paid. Residents of the Moadamiya municipality protested the redevelopment, demanding a share of the investment and recognition of their documented land rights. United Nations land‑rights experts have called on the government to suspend laws that enabled systematic dispossession under the Assads and to restore properties or provide adequate compensation.
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