Douma WhiteMorgue

Ghouta Chemical Massacre(s)
Douma WhiteMorgue
July 6, 2020
(rough, incomplete)

This is the largest array of bodies connected to the Ghouta chemical massacre. I did a rough count of 186 bodies seen, with spaces between them suggesting at least 200 had been there, with some removed as if claimed by family. Some of the bodies shown here also appeared in Saqba, geolocated to a former school there. That was enough to put the scene somewhere in the East Ghouta area. Just where wasn't clear; several local groups had stamped images of it, but the fullest set of images was stamped Douma Coordinating Committee, posted by their Douma revolution account on Tumblr (on and around this page)

WhiteMorgue video by Mohammed Saeed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp_Ju6742Z0

Forehead tape ID numbers:
numbers seen
152, green, woman at 0:30 (highest number seen)
48, red, woman 3:45
4, ?, 6 (or 60?) red, boys
4, red, girl at 9:30
86 green 9:18 boy in "Zamalka," (here?) and pool scene
25, black on skin, baby  11:10
27, black on skin, next to 25, girl,
87, green, man, 13:00 (and above, w/pink foam)
85, green, baby
?15 13:35 man between boys 4 and 6
53? red, girl 15:22

In various photos:
11 red, boy
14 red, boy (no shirt, red around arms
22 red, girl (gray picture shirt)
46 red, girl
54 red, boy?

What seems to be the same bodies are then seen outdoors, wrapped in white for burial.

The view of a tiled driveway suggests this is at the south end of the grounds of the former AnNatr school in NE Douma, where the victims of a 2015 alleged market attack were displayed (see here and photo at right - tarped area, yellow pole also match  - sun low and from the east for 2013 morning views above, higher and SW for 2015 afternoon views. )


Another video shows a body brought in to this area on a stretcher. That's Safi Khaled Al-Nabki, FSA, reportedly killed by the gas attack, not the obvious head wounds.

A local "civil society leader" named "Abu Azzoun" seems to preside over the 2013 scene (visible in photos above).  His cohort Abu Omar Burkhush also appeared in one video (and another) - both shown at right. These same two men would later speak to the 2018 Douma chemical massacre, claiming 187 had been killed, not the publicized 43. They do seem well-connected... (another 2018 video gives their names in Arabic: "أب عمر برخش" و"أب عزو خبية")

In the last image, the sheikhs are facing into the tented area, sun at their backs, and the same blue wall seen opposite as in the 2015 view above.

Those are sort of general features you might find anywhere, but in context - Douma only being so big, etc. - it's quite likely the same place mapped in 2015 (see below, marked relative the four alleged bomb impacts forming a perfect arc around a spot just to the south probably run by Jaish al-Islam).

That bit of geolocation was called at the time by my long-term cohort Petri Krohn - who has a talent for that - based on several views of the south and west sides of the complex. My own recent match of that to these 2013 scenes is a bit more tenuous. The location would be good to set, and I think (96% certain) I've set it. But if anyone thinks they spot a mismatch (that can't be reasonably reconciled by 2 years' difference), I'd appreciate hearing about it.