With calls upon Syrian refugees to return to their “safe” homeland | Syrian regime keep seizing properties of oppositionists in Rif Dimashq
As regime security services continue punishing oppositionists by taking over their properties under “provisional seizure” decision, SOHR activists have reported that the security services are accounting and searching for the people whose properties come under the “provisional seizure” decision in the areas of Basima and Ain al-Fayjaa in Wadi Bardi in western Rif Dimashq. This search is conducted by the Branch 277 known as “Military Security” service through members of al-Baath Party and “Mukhtars” (mayors).
According to Observatory sources, patrol of that branch started a survey in Basima and Ain al-Fayjaa in the past week in, searching for properties of civilians who had moved to areas outside the Syrian regime’s control or outside Syria, and they listed such properties, including houses, shops and farmlands, with comprehensive details on each unit, including the condition of the units if they were destroyed or inhabitable and whether they were inhabited by any of the owners’ relatives.
In eastern Ghouta, however, SOHR activists say that regime security services took over nearly 30 farmlands and abandoned houses in Harran al-Awameed, al-Bahariyyah, al-Jarba, al-Qaysa and al-Abadah town in al-Marj. These properties, which came under the “provisional seizure” decision and turned into military headquarters, belonged to civilians opposing to the Syrian regime, who had moved to north Syria region or sought refuge in other countries.
Also, SOHR activists in south Damascus have reported that patrols of the Branch 277 took over seven houses and three shops in Sbinah town in the south of Damascus, which belonged to oppositionists from the town living abroad. It is worth noting that the houses have been turned into military headquarters, while guards were deployed in the shops.
On November 5, SOHR activists reported that Iran exerted efforts to change the demography of eastern Ghouta in progress, with the help of Syrian affiliates who continue purchasing houses, shops and land plots, SOHR sources have reported that individuals purchased farmlands in the recent time in the area between al-Mleha to Htetat al-Turkman running through Shab’a and Deir al-Asafeer in the southern part of eastern Ghouta, adjacent to Damascus international airport.
It is worth noting that the individuals who purchased these farmlands are affiliated to “Abu Yaser al-Bakari” who is from al-Bokamal city and works for Iranian-backed militias. According to the sources, the purchasing of these farmlands were similar to the earlier purchases of houses and shops across eastern Ghouta, that the Syrian Observatory reported about. The Iranians’ affiliates have bought these farmlands for large sums of money, as they focused on plots of land owned by people living outside Syria.
The Syrian Observatory would like to point to the fact that the Iranian-backed militias are seeking to surround Damascus international airport, over years, to the flank of eastern Ghouta. The Iranians has considered eastern Ghouta as one of the most prominent Syrian areas which accommodated oppositionists to the Syrian regime, who played a major role in the peaceful protests with the first spark of the “Syrian Revolution”, before it was captured by rebel factions. After the factions’ control of the region, eastern Ghouta experienced violent battles which left thousands of regime soldiers and Iranian-backed militiamen dead, before the factions and civilians who rejected the reconciliation deals were evacuated to north Syria region in 2018.
In this context, SOHR activists have confirmed that militiamen of the Iranian-backed movement of “al-Nujabaa” stationed in different areas in southern Damascus, including Sayeda Zeinab, seized a farmland adjacent to Damascus international airport in Shab’aa area, arrested the land’s owner, excavated the land using heavy diggers and earth-moving machineries and established a security post with ten militiamen being stationed in it.