Killing protesters in Syria: a Behind the Scenes Look at the Top-Secret Orders

May 11, 2021 (rough - finally posted 12/2/24)

The Secret Orders

A New View: The Brown Exhibits

The government response requires a decision and then orders, and those being followed. publicly, they deny policy mixing concessions with brutality, claiming to ... but for a system to operate, orders need to exist and be communicated and understood in some top-secret channels. These are now visible in many spots, declassified after leaking or theft by agents of the opposition and hostile foreign powers - some million or so files compiled and used by the "Commission for International Justice and Accountability" (CIJA) in the name for ongoing court cases against government officials.

The "Assad Files" collected to boost the case - time and again they're found to fail (collected tagged posts here - ACLOS)

Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA - not to be confused with CIJA), for the Marie Colvin case - but using "documentary references provided by the CIJA" as analyzed by Ewan Brown - "retained as a consultant by the CIJA" -  again no files mentioning Ms. Colvin or any direct orders relating to her, so Brown assessed the general security situation up to Feb. 2012, especially in Homs, where and when she was killed.  in three volumes, he shows several documents of of interest to his study,

https://cja.org/what-we-do/litigation/colvin-v-syria/pleadings/ewan-brown-exhibits/

Brown says the CIJA "continue to investigate allegations that add to the understanding of the events of the conflict" and passes on their reading of the government policy to target protesters - repression was "focused on those inciting demonstrations, opposition leaders, co-ordinators, and financiers as well as those ... tarnishing the image of the state." But he also quotes the fuller documents clarifying - as I had to wait to learn - the demonstrators to famously arrest in the "linchpin" plan were MILITANTS . ("such persons" as kill and terrorize, etc.) and "particularly those" among these militants ALSO involved in protests and commentary - CIJA just redacted MILITANT for us, but it was a 2-part definition.

See Brown's Expert comments, March 2, 2018 (pdf p.83) https://cja.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/17-Expert-Report-of-Ewan-Brown-dated-March-2-2018_Redacted.pdf

that crossover was of concern - More on that can be found in the Brown documents:

20/04/11 Dealing with "Multi-faceted confrontation of demonstrators, saboteurs of security and vandals ... Counter with weapons those who carry weapons against the state, while ensuring that civilians are not harmed." v3 p104 

23 April: Reccommended actions include "Focusing on arresting inciters, especially those shooting at demonstrators (snipers or infiltrators)."

06/05/11 Hama: An unidentified sniper[sniped] on the rooftop of Mounekh mosque and another on the rooftop of a house off Umar Ibn Khattab Mosque shot demonstrators, killing one and injuring 43 /gunshot- stones- gas inhalation/. The situation of some injured is still delicate." v3 p233

04/05/11 Branch: Deir ez-Zor: "Our elements will keep on covering of our branch sector and will spread on the roofs of the building to stop the saboteurs from shooting the protestors. We are keen on tracking down those who incite others to demonstrate and carry out acts of rioting." v2 p95

Here we can see which part of the 2-part definition matters more - they want the militants, ESPECIALLY the ones that shoot demonstrators. It was later they also wanted the ones who ARE demonstrators, and they would still want to stop demonstrator-militants shooting others who aren't militants, or are in a rival militia. All those sound worth stopping to me.

Brown's documents seeming to add no new redaction - providing a clearer than usual view of the facts - they were dealing with and suppressing armed terrorists plunging the country into civil war.

In vol. 2:

- 19/4/11 "Deir ez-Zor Branch: [redacted] has threatened Comrade Muhammad Salah al-Abed, Secretary of Al-Qouriyya Second Division, over the phone. He said that he would be holding informers accountable."  v2 p17

- 25/4/11 "Information indicates that the village of Kfar Zeit is rife with arm-bearing smugglers (machineguns and hand grenades.) They go out at night and terrorize people." v2 p24

- 25/4/11 "At /3:00 / of 25/04, a cigarette shop in Taldo was set ablaze by unidentified individuals because his owner is in contact with security agencies."  v2 p26 (Taldou just south of Kafr Zeita, later site of the 5/25/12 "Houla Massacre")

Rural Damascus Branch:

- 25/4/11 "At /13:00 / of 25/04, a body of a shot individual was found near the Douma roads police station (Damascus-Homs) ... An individual in Douma succumbed to injuries he sustained from a shooting." 

Some later examples:

1/5/11 Lattakia Branch: "At /5:30 pm/, a demonstration took to the Saliba neighborhood, comprising /50-60/ individuals. They chanted (God- Syria- Abu Nazir). Upon the arrival of security forces, they walked into alleys and fired on security elements using a gun an individual carried with him. Another individual had dynamites." v3 p206

3/5/11 Lattakia Branch: "Security apparatuses cooperated with partisan comrades to arrest two individuals for instigating rioting and threatening to shoot to instill fear among citizens last Friday and Saturday."  v3 p213

4/5/11, Hama: "Demonstrators are generally inclined toward armament so that no demonstrator dies cheaply (according to them). Security elements living in Hama are being targeted and some are instigating these attacks." v3 p223

13/06/11 Teftnaz (non-text): A suspected collaborator had his house shot at, daughter injured in the face, taken to hospital. v3 p131

One more example: update for the first of August, 2011 (v3 p181-183), Hama - some 26 security forces and about 80 civilian men and boys had been killed in Hama during the violence of July 31, blamed on the army. Next day:

- For the second consecutive day, the security situation in Hama is unsafe and unstable. Armed individuals are roaming the city, attacking civil and military governmental headquarters, stealing vehicles, weapons, equipment and furniture and preparing Molotov cocktails and propane cylinders to be used against the security forces when they enter the city. 

- Today, on 1/8, armed individuals assaulted the Party branch by shooting intermittently. They also reentered the Party’s First City Department and seized (2) Russian rifles and computers. They stormed the Recruitment Directorate and broke into the missions depot, stole military uniforms and shoes. They raided Sanitation near the village of Al-Dhaheriyya, expelled all its employees and took over. They stole a caravan owned by the General Directorate of Water, broke into the depot of the General Directorate of Drinking Water, obtained the keys of all the vehicles there and stole a tanker truck, (2) microbuses and (8) cars. They attacked the Palace of Justice in Hama facing the medical center hospital and stole some of its property, including (the criminal evidence depot) as well as different weapons, drugs and money. 

- On 31/7, (3) bodies were found inside a car.

Deir ez-Zor Branch, same day: 

- At (02:00) on 31/7, an armed ambush was set for a military column coming from Ar-Raqqa and a clash with the armed individuals took place and led to the martyrdom of two personnel, one of whom is an officer, and the injury of others. 

- During the evening of 31/7, armed individuals attacked the directorate of the sub-district of Khasham and seized several Russian rifles and a gun. The residents interfered and recovered all the weapons, except for one rifle. 

- At (21:30) on 31/7, the sentry point of Al-Omar oil field came under attack with machine guns. The attack reoccurred at (01:30) on 1/8. (3) personnel went missing and (3) Russian rifles and (1400) rounds were stolen. 

- At (22:30), armed individuals on motorcycles shot at the Military Police guards and clashed with them, killing two and wounding one. One pump action rifle, (1.5) kg of dynamite and cold weapons were confiscated. 

- At (24:00), armed individuals attacked the headquarters of the Directorate of Finance in Deir ez-Zor resulting in material damage. 

Elsewhere:

- During the evening of 31/7, armed individuals shot at army members while they were delivering food to military checkpoints in Ar-Rastan, resulting in (4) martyrs and (11) wounded.

- Two martyrs (from the army and the police) were rushed to the military hospital in Homs after being shot.

- A group of armed individuals attacked some members who were guarding an exam center in a school in Ar-Rastan and two Russian rifles were hijacked.

- During the night on 31/7, a passenger car was shot at, killing two State Security members and injuring two other members who suffered from bruises.

- On 1/8, on the (Homs-Hama) highway, armed individuals shot heavily at a Pullman bus, causing it to crash, killing the driver and injuring (11) police and army members, as well as (1) civilian.

- The casualties in Homs up until the morning of 1/8/2011: (6) martyrs-(26) wounded (security forces and army)-(1) wounded civilian" v3 p181

---

Okay, so next, they say "Drats! We simply MUST crush those peaceful protesters and torture them to death. Maybe then these armed gangs will leave us alone!" But these were late July, as militancy coild no longer be denied and a "Free Syrian Army" made itself known - protest-crushing from March to July had forced this... okay by early June at latest:

(v3 p131-132, non-text)

Brown Exhibits on Izraa 22/4/11

Ewan Brown exhibits, including some files relating to an alleged killing of some 34 protesters in Izraa, Daraa on 22/23 April, 2011 - Up to a point in 2011, protests and violence were escalating so the biggest or deadliest yet was constantly reported, increasing the pressure on the embattled government of president Bashar al-Assad. One example of this were the events of April 22 and 23 in Izraa, Daraa province - security forces acused of shooting some 34 civilians dead during a protest and then a funeral - what would be called "The ‘Great Friday’ Massacre of Israa -  - part of the "uprising's bloodiest day" to date (Reutetrs) and  - alleged details below - widely denounced by world governments and human rights groups as a "brutal use of force on behalf of the security forces.” (Al-Jazeera) -  triggered siege of Daraa starting April 25, which led to the Saida incident April 29 and the decried killing of some 50, including the boy Hamza al-Khatib.

in two documents relating meetings of 21 and 23 April - CCMC - first laying out the rules of engagement, and the next reflecting on how it worked out - a unique look at the secret orders behind 

to be found in vol. 3 as file ___

https://cja.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/17C-Exhibit-C-Vol-3-to-Expert-Report-of-Ewan-Brown-dated-March-2-2018_Redacted.pdf

Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party - Syrian Arab Region– Regional Command - No.: 380

Minutes of the Meeting, Central Crisis Management Cell, 21/4/2011

v3 p121-122

The parts about Daraa province:

6- As a result of the telephone conversation with the governor of Dar’a, demonstrators coming from the towns, cities and villages of Rural Dar’a will be prevented on 22/4/2011 from accessing the city. 

7- Comrade Minister of Defense stated that a two-phase plan had been developed: phase 1 is ready for implementation as of sundown on 21/4/2011 including isolating the city of Dar’a by setting up roadblocks using personnel from the Armed Forces who shall prevent the access of demonstrators and rioters.

4- The meeting underlined the implementation of the distributed executive instructions on how to deal with demonstrators, i.e. using batons, striking below the knee, using weapons in self-defense and in cases of necessity, while ensuring that there be no casualties and firing in the air for intimidation or below the knee.  

The city of Daraa was to be barricaded to prevent chaos there. Other towns, not so much. As to the orders to kill protests - it must have been discussed elsewhere, or in code, as these orders seem likely to AVOID killing.

theme in other docs - cons. rules - shooting in self-defense 

earlier: "3. Ensure that all elements hide their personal weapons, do not show it and do not shoot under any circumstances, except in extreme cases of self-defense. Make sure they use reason, wisdom, prudence and absorb and deal with the sedition in a way that preserves the prestige of the state. (30/03/11)

19/08/11 "Ensure that no drop of blood is shed when confronting and dispersing peaceful demonstrations." v1 p163

armed ones are different - drops of blood may need to be shed, and that's where "shooting at the legs below the knee" is recommended by the mass-murdering regime.

20/04/11 "Counter with weapons those who carry weapons against the state, while ensuring that civilians are not harmed." v3 p104  

The day after, whatever orders were followed, "government forces continued to violently suppress protests" (HRW) and dozens of people wound up dead. And the day after that, the CCMC met again to discuss the successes or failures of their alleged repression in Daraa:

Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party -  Syrian Arab Region – Regional Command

No.: 381

Date: 23/4/2011 

v3 p114-116

https://cja.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/17C-Exhibit-C-Vol-3-to-Expert-Report-of-Ewan-Brown-dated-March-2-2018_Redacted.pdf

 

1- Comrade Assistant Regional Secretary spoke, stating that 22/4/2011 was a difficult day in which several people died which created a new situation in the country, pushing us into circumstances we are better off without. If the directives previously issued had been adhered to we would have prevented bloodshed, and matters would not have come to this culmination. Each person should make up their mind; because the nation and the system and the state are at stake. By carefully carrying out the missions and dealing transparently we will decide the fate of the nation and the fate of our children. We are all in the same boat. 

It sounds like "the directives previously issued" were not followed. As it appears, those were meant to avoid bloodshed. People dying sounds bad here. 

what happened?

5- Comrade Imad Minister of Defense showed that the distribution of roadblocks was implemented rigorously, by some people managed to get to Dar’a from an unexpected direction, from the east (Al-Mseifra and Al-Nuaima). An infiltrated entity managed to shoot the city of Izraa which resulted in casualties. (Repaired, from the arabic, props to Amin: "managed to open fire in the city of Izraa...")

"He said that motorcycle drivers were playing a negative part in disseminating chaos and disorder, in creating tension and incitement." 

Again, as SANA said "masked gunmen on motorcycles opened fire on the guards of a government office in Izraa, killing eight bystanders" and zero guards. This might read like a lie or cover-up, but it may be just a bad guess. If someone was shooting, it was probably AT the protesters, not the authorities, so as to blame the authorities.

In paragraph 4 comes the best suggestion of any fault by security forces.

4- "Comrade Imad Hasan noted that the mission was carried out at 50% on 22/4/2011 and this resulted in some negative developments, mostly resulting from the poor and inaccurate adherence to orders. Indeed, there was overlap in decisions." 

These suggested actions could be mined for hints:  "Commanders should address the psychological disadvantaged of combat, and assign their personnel to missions according to the capacities of each. They should ensure that instructions are being conveyed carefully and clearly down to the last man. Effective collaboration should be established, and responsibility and clear boundaries should be defined between any two neighboring districts during the implementation of missions. We should not turn any of our fellow citizens into enemies."

And suggested action "f" was: "Practicing self-possession, averting reactivity and refraining from appearing shaken when dealing with demonstrators."  

Aside from this "infiltrated entity," the confidential discussion - The context sounds like their forces may have shot at people, or at least there was concern about that, or some unspecified fault involving "the directives previously issued" not being followed, and contributing to (if not directly causing) at least some of the bloodshed, after the masked provocateurs activists never mentioned appeared and started shooting - I'd be shaken. 

But whatever part the soldiers had, it was posed a negative development that came from orders NOT being followed. Would they say all this for no audience if the order had been TO use brute force and kill protesters? 

They always blame "masked men" and "saboteurs" in public. In secret, they can admit was really them, as "everybody already knows" over here. And yet they don't. Some plans floated at the 23/4 meeting, in response to the Izraa incident:

3- [Comrade Assistant Regional Secretary] then asserted that a sniper, inciter or infiltrator be presented to the public in a manner that convinced them, and earns their trust. 

14- Comrade Director of the General Intelligence Directorate expressed his willingness to present the images of those shooting from the roofs of houses or through demonstrations or ambushes, and to provide the appropriate evidence. Comrade Assistant Regional Secretary stated that surrounding and catching a sniper alive or injured and exposing him in the media is not impossible. This mission should be accomplished. We should restore public trust in security agencies and the police.

7- Comrade Head of the National Security Bureau suggested addressing the crisis as a whole after careful analysis. Wanted persons should be arrested and prevented from dispersing to and inciting the other governorates. Armed Forces units should enter Dar’a because it is a key focal point, and then move on to the other governorates.

Other follow-up plans included:

Armed Forces units should enter Dar’a because it is a key focal point, and then move on to the other governorates. 

d- Accelerating the provision of anti-riot gear (work uniform – helmet – plastic shield – rubber batons etc.).

e- Focusing on arresting inciters, especially those shooting at demonstrators (snipers or infiltrators).

Now if the government wanted to stop dissent, WHY wouldn't they use brute force

why?

Behind closed doors, they explain it's to "avoid provoking a counter reaction from rebels." Or to prevent "some syndicates (physicians – engineers – lawyers - …etc) going over to the opponents’ side." They speak of a "need to work toward halting public sympathy with opposition parties through more organized and disciplined action." 

We should restore public trust in security agencies and the police.

Assistant Regional Secretary cited "the fate of the nation and the fate of our children. We are all in the same boat." It's almost as if Syria was their country too - as if they'd have to sleep in the bed they made (to swap metaphors) - something that could hardly be said about the governments calling themselves "friends of Syria" and demanding another regime change to follow on Iraq and Libya and all the others.

?? In order to avoid the consequences of continued incitement, such as the call for organising the Day of Wrath on 4 and 5 February, and foil the attempts of inciters to exploit any pretext, civil police and security agents are requested not to provoke citizens"

Indeed, as one of the many mouthpieces of Syria's enemies, Al-Jazeera, reported, 

"The activist said that the funerals in Izraa were expected “to become a huge rally against the regime” 

30/03/11. Ensure that all elements hide their personal weapons, do not show it and do not shoot under any circumstances, except in extreme cases of self-defense. Make sure they use reason, wisdom, prudence and absorb and deal with the sedition in a way that preserves the prestige of the state. v1 p181

12/03/11 "civil police and security agents are requested not to provoke citizens. This is because any provocation may serve the purposes of Syria's enemies." v1 p188 

"We should not turn any of our fellow citizens into enemies." 23/4/11

supposedly after reviewing these same documents we just did, which HE selected to inform his case, Ewan Brown summarized the same uninformed story told to the news in the first place, "The increasingly violent response of the Regime" to peaceful protests "inflamed the opposition, leading to additional protests and the emergence of an armed opposition." Then it escalated further and they killed Marie Colvin for tarnishing their image, then sarin and ISIS and so on. We already knew all that. The CIJA really knows how to pick its experts.

Who wanted violence, instability blamed solely on the government, and a prepetition of the Libya scenario? 

leaflet vol. 1 : 5/5/2011, we received a leaflet issued by the so-called Syrian opposition in Lebanon - if "demonstrations " are wide enough, " the regime will be confused and will not be able to bring enough forces to cover a specific region ... which would help the "toppling down the regime," presuming "the decision of the Security Council to conduct a military strike [as] against Qaddafi." who was prevented from reclaiming several areas including Benghazi from a surprise militant campaign by armed extremists.

22/6/11 - Homs oppo. buying weapons "this confirms that they do not seek reforms but wish for armed escalation and rebellion, but they are not ready now to confront the army." v3 p126 (non-text)

And hence ""the regime's recent efforts to mollify the opposition -- including Thursday's lifting of the decades-old emergency laws – appear not to have made a difference" (AP) Damascus' moves to release prisoners, lift emergency law, to eventually introduce a new constitution and presidential elections all failed to curb the calls for the regime's fall, sharia law, the killing of Alawites, and so on. 

statements were top-secret, as candid as it should get, if the alleged goals and methods were ever real.

against stated goals - against stated methods - against the best evidence and, really, common sense.

Izraa Protest/Funeral Massacre Claims

(optional detail)

Up to a point in 2011, protests and violence were escalating so the biggest or deadliest yet was contantly reported, increasing the pressure on the embattled government of president Bashar al-Assad. One example of this were the events of April 22 and 23 in Izraa, Daraa province - security forces acused of shooting some 34 civilians dead during a protest and then a funeral for widely denounced by world governments and human rights groups triggered siege of Daraa starting April 25, which led to the Saida incident April 29 and the decried killing of some 50, including the boy Hamza al-Khatib.

April 22 Incident, Izraa, Daraa 

https://abcnews.go.com/International/syria-protests-highest-death-toll-reported-forces-fire/story?id=13436973

Tom Nagorsky, AP news April 22 "Today's protests were the largest yet in Syria" and were met with what "by many accounts has been the bloodiest day in a five-week-long revolt against the Syrian regime." By way of context, the article added "the regime's recent efforts to mollify the opposition -- including Thursday's lifting of the decades-old emergency laws – appear not to have made a difference ... the unrest poses the gravest threat to President Bashar al-Assad's rule since he succeeded his father 11 years ago. Thus far, Assad has followed a course of occasional compromises mixed with brute force," which just happened again - "the opposition says more than 75 protesters have been killed in several places, including Izraa, where one unnamed witness told the AP "Bullets started flying over our heads like heavy rain." 

There were no further details on that incident in that article, but there are a lot below. 

initial reports had 16 shot during the day's Friday protest - 7 killed, 9 wounded.

https://www.nationnews.com/2011/04/22/27-dead-in-syria-protests/

Later it was 15 or perhaps 17 killed - The opposition Center for ... VDC (defunct) listed at least 17 died in the end - 13 men, 3 boys from Izraa, Tafas, elsewhere in Daraa (names on file here) + Tamer Yaser al-Qzez Aloush from Maaret Al-Nouman, Idlib, listed on 04-23 but noted "He was martyred in the Great Friday in Daraa." 11 in one incident, 5 in a later one, and at least one next-day death. 

Could it be every shooting wound up fatal?  

"Among the dead were a 70-year-old man and two boys ages 7 and 10, Amnesty International said." (Reuters) It was called the "uprising's bloodiest day" and "The ‘Great Friday’ Massacre of Israa, Daraa" (FreeSyriaNow)

https://www.foxnews.com/world/protesters-prepare-funerals-for-those-killed-in-syrian-uprisings-bloodiest-day

The violence was condemned by Human Rights Watch (HRW) who reported as a fact "government forces continued to violently suppress protests, killing at least 110 other protesters who participated in mass gatherings across the country on April 22, in what was the deadliest day of protests. Those killed included at least 30 in the town of Izraa," but on 2 days combined. This was decided by HRW "based on more than 50 interviews with victims and witnesses to abuses." They have verbal accounts from opposition activists - Period. Some claiming to explain the Izraa incidents are compiled in a HRW report - first the events of the 22nd:

One witness “Abdul-Karim” (not his real name), a resident of Tseel, told Human Rights Watch that on April 22, 2011, he and other residents heard that 11 people were killed during a protest in Izraa, and decided to go there to support the demonstrators." He describes in curious detail a second incident on what sounds like the same day, wherein another 20 were wounded and at least 4 were killed with shots to the head: 

"At around 3 p.m. we reached a bridge close to Izraa which was closed by checkpoints on both sides. They let us through the first checkpoint and then trapped us on the bridge, not letting us through. We were about 300-400 people on the 70-meters-long, 9-meters-wide bridge. As we were trapped in the middle, security forces opened fire—not from the checkpoints; it came from the side. The shooters were from mukhabarat—they had camouflage uniforms with yellow and red straps on their shoulders, looked older than the army soldiers, and their uniforms were newer and fitted them well." 

The uniforms and age suggest these were elite, well-trained, killers - surely acting on centralized orders.

"I saw a 7-year-old boy hit in the head right next to me (I later leant that he was from Namer, his name was Muhammad Ibrahim Hamoudeh), and three other young men—they were all hit in the head and died on the spot. About 20 people were wounded—we managed to carry them all away.[44]

VDC had listed Mohammad Ibrahim al-Musa Hamouda age 7, killed 4/22 

22 4 Israa Daraa Massacre people fire +18 أوغاريت مجزرة إزرع درعا مقطع دموي بشع

(video by UgaritNEWS1): as the video starts, some men lay low as someone fires bullets nonstop in the distance. - many had been on motorcycles now tipped over. most  are just low to avoid being shot, but at least one man is bleeding heavily from his side. When the shooting lets up, they begin to stir, film the aftermath, and curse Assad. An older man appears carrying a boy with fatal head wound - he seems older than the Hamouda boy (age 7). It's not on a 9m-wide bridge - the scene is on regular streets with buildings on all sides - maybe southeast of this building "bakery" in s.central Izraa? 32.858348, 36.237207 (quick try, low confidence, low priority)

image of the scene

"Is this how a government disperses a peaceful protest? The man keeps shouting ‘silmiyeh’ (peaceful) in disbelief as he holds the body of a little boy…." (FreeSyriaNow) "In the southern town of Izraa, a man ran carrying the body of a young boy, whose hair was matted with blood from a gaping wound on his head, as another child wept and shouted, "My brother!" Footage of the scene was posted on the protest movement's main Facebook pace. [sic]  The activist said that the funerals in Izraa were expected “to become a huge rally against the regime” ... "The funerals will turn into vehement protests, like past funerals," another activist told Reuters." (Reuters)

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2011/4/23/nine-killed-at-syria-funeral-processions

April 23 Funeral Shootings

After the "uprising's bloodiest day," Fifteen corpses were to be buried after the noon prayers. (FreeSyriaNow) The violence at Saturday's funeral for Friday's victims is more widely described - HRW, same report:

The following day, people from different neighboring towns went to Izraa to participate in the funerals of the protesters killed on April 22. One of the witnesses said that the security forces at the checkpoint on the bridge told their group to stop and started shooting in the air, but at the same time others opened fire at the group of people in front of them, who had crossed the bridge earlier. When they were finally able to get through, witnesses said, they picked up 17 bodies.[45]

Another witness, “Mazhar” (not his real name) from Tafas, described the same incident to Human Rights Watch saying that when his group that was heading to the funeral was about 200 meters from the checkpoint, security forces first shot in the air. Protesters stopped, and those who were driving got out of the cars to demonstrate that they presented no threat, but the security forces then immediately fired into the crowd. Mazhar said he personally witnessed the killing of five people, and saw dozens of wounded.[46]

Al-Jazeera: "During Saturday’s funerals, army and security personnel shot at the mourners, killing five people and wounding several others, said an eyewitness present at the funerals. “I saw four of the dead myself. They had been shot in the chest,” he said."

Note: 4-5 and/or 17 killed on a bridge - the day before, 4 were killed on a bridge - tallies: 15-17 then 17+ - almost as if the same day's event were just repeated. HRW heard of 19 killed - death toll 4/22: 15

20 wounded, 4 killed - all after 11 reported killed earlier in the day = 35+ wounded or killed vs. 34 later claimed to die in Izraa: "the Izraa shooting on April 22 and 23 "claimed the lives of at least 34 protesters." both seeing ~100% fatality for those who get shot. That doesn't happen if soldiers shoot in the air or below the knees - they shot differently than ordered, or as they say someone else trying to make them look bad opened fire.

VDC adds just 2 deaths to the 5 or 17 reported day before - there's supposed to be 17-19 more: 

Yaser Yaseen al-Nserat Civilian Adult - Male Daraa Ibta'a 2011-04-23 Shooting He was shot in head on Izraa Brdige

Jamal Ismael Farhan al-Qunbur was a Mosque muezzin (issues the call to prayer, etc.) from Dael, Daraa, killed by shooting "In Izraa Massacre during the funeral of the Great Friday Martyrs"

kids killeed - Muezzin killed - brutality displayed again, belying the conciliatory gestures.

"Al Jazeera’s correspondent, who we cannot name for security reasons, was just outside Izraa, and confirmed that he had witnessed a funeral procession being fired upon."

Interesting account:

“[People marching on an overpass] were met with a hail of gunfire, many people certainly wounded directly in front of us, cars turned around, and I can tell you it was an incredibly chaotic scene, and it seems as though pretty much everyone down here in the southern part of the country is now carrying weapons. It is unclear who was firing at whom, that’s part of the confusion … but clearly a very violent incident now being carried out here in the south of the country.” 

The same person continues, after regaining comopsure:

“I think it’s pretty clear now that the government feels that the eyes of the world are elsewhere, and that this is the best way to deal with what they are calling an armed insurrection … we saw this yesterday, and clearly we’re seeing this again today. The government was clearly anticipating funerals like this, and clearly was anticipating that violence could break out at these funerals, people are obviously very angry because they’ve had family members who have been killed, and I think the government was anticipating violence, but what I witnessed was a clear, brutal use of force on behalf of the security forces.”

So some details were unclear, like just who was shooting, but luckily it was 5x clearer it was done "on behalf" of the government.

Government Stories

On Friday, the state-run news agency SANA said masked gunmen on motorcycles opened fire on the guards of a government office in Izraa, killing eight bystanders. SANA also said two members of the security forces were killed "by armed criminal groups," one in the Muadamiya district of Damascus, the other in the Baba Amr district of Homs. (Reuters)

Nasser Hariri, a Syrian People’s Assembly member from Daraa, told Al Jazeera that he “feels sorry for those who were killed in Haran [Houron/incl. Daraa] over the last two days "by the bullets of security forces." Explaining "I am not able to protect the voters killed by live ammunitions" from within the system, he resigned from the Assembly, later joining the opposition NCSROF in Turkey. Later headed 2017 "peace talks" in Geneva after Mohammed Alloush (Army of Islam political leader) and Asaad al-Zoubi ("Mr. Pesticide") had resigned. https://libyancivilwar.blogspot.com/2019/09/mr-pesticide-part-1-scuttling-peace.html

US president Barack Obama said the regime's "outrageous" violence against the peaceful protesters must "end now."

In the U.K., Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague condemned the "unacceptable killing of demonstrators by the Syrian security forces."

https://www.foxnews.com/world/protesters-prepare-funerals-for-those-killed-in-syrian-uprisings-bloodiest-day

The Longer View

HRW on orders: Other evidence obtained by Human Rights Watch also suggests that security forces participating in the operations against the protesters (in Daraa and other cities) had received, at least in a number of cases,  “shoot-to-kill” orders from their commanders.

A resident of Daraa, describes the "capture several members of political security branch of the security services" after some other soldiers just handed them waepons - they killed 7, captured 3 who said "their orders were to kill, not to take prisoners,” and they “would have been killed by their commanders if they refused to shoot.”[35]

Those claims were taken as fact and any government denials dismissed out of hand - considering, they had no choice but to find Syria in violation of UN rules for use of firearms, and probably Crimes Against Humanity 

Article 10 of the Basic Principles requires that law enforcement officials “give clear warning of their intent to use firearms.”[62] Article 9 states that “intentional lethal use of firearms may only be made when strictly unavoidable in order to protect life.”[63] That's perfectly in line with the top-secret orders to NOT KILL that we can now see, but HRW would still prefer the original claims. 

it was clear that had been ordered, to crush the rebellion - as they'd been doing randomly from the start and before - every step enflaming the situation, - could ONLY provoke - unless morons, that's their plan - but as advertised, their plan was to ruthlessly crush, and they just kept on failing to notice how it just made things worse - as advertised, the villains were evil, insane, and moronic.

we can see the orders now - plans were to neither crush protests OR to aggravate the militants - it was to assuage protesters and crush the deceptive Takfiiri militants