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The Tadmor Prison massacre occurred at the desert prison of Tadmor, carried out by the Syrian regime in retaliation against the Muslim Brotherhood following an assassination attempt on former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad. The massacre was executed by the Defense Companies led by Rifaat al-Assad on June 27, 1980, over a period of three hours, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 detainees according to human rights estimates. The bodies were buried in a desert valley.
**Before the Massacre:**
Multiple human rights sources confirm that on the day before the massacre, June 26, 1980, former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad survived an assassination attempt while bidding farewell to Nigerian President Hussain Kontchi at the guest palace entrance in the Abu Rummaneh neighborhood of Damascus.
One of Hafez al-Assad’s personal guards attempted to kill him by throwing two grenades and firing shots. Another bodyguard, Khaled al-Hussein, quickly shielded him, sacrificing his life. Hafez al-Assad survived with minor injuries.
The Syrian authorities accused the Muslim Brotherhood of planning and executing the assassination attempt. In retaliation, Hafez al-Assad and his brother Rifaat al-Assad carried out the Tadmor Prison massacre.
Rifaat al-Assad confirmed this in a television interview, stating, "The Tadmor incident followed the assassination of Syrian President Hafez al-Assad by the Muslim Brotherhood. They assassinated him and attacked him with bombs." He equated the injury with assassination in the same interview.
**The Massacre:**
Orders were given on the same day to execute the prisoners in the Tadmor desert prison, an old facility located in the Homs desert, 200 kilometers from Damascus. It was built in the 1930s and used by the regime to detain, torture, and imprison political prisoners and dissenters.
The task was assigned to the Defense Companies, led by Rifaat al-Assad. His brother-in-law, Major Moin Nassif, was entrusted with the execution of the prisoners. He, along with 100 members of the Defense Companies, headed to Tadmor Prison in 12 helicopters. Around 80 of them entered the cells.
Khaled al-Aqla, a survivor of the Tadmor Prison massacre, recounts the details of that day, saying, "We were accustomed to the inspection and guard change at 2 PM every day, but on Friday, June 27, 1980, they conducted the inspection at 8 AM and requested the names of the old detainees in the prison."
Before 9 AM, the prisoners heard unprecedented movement in the prison, sounds of many military boots moving and standing around the cells, and the preparation of weapons, which was unusual.
At exactly 9 AM, the prisoners heard a grenade explosion followed by continuous gunfire that lasted about 40 minutes or slightly more, as described by Khaled al-Aqla. Sporadic gunfire continued until noon, accompanied by cutting off electricity and water to all dormitories.