ADL: Reports of Syrian Regime Using Crematoria Invokes the Worst Nightmares of Nazi Atrocities

New York, NY, May 16, 2017 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today expressed shock and outrage over reports that the Syrian regime is using crematoria to burn bodies of those executed in a Syrian prison.

ADL said the revelations “invoke the worst nightmares of Nazi atrocities against the Jewish people” and called on the international community - especially Russia - to act to stop the Syrian regime’s brutality. According to the State Department, declassified satellite images show that the Assad government is using a crematorium to hide mass murders at a prison where thousands of Syrians are believed to have been executed.

“As Jews, we are particularly shocked by the extreme brutality of the Syrian regime which invokes the worst nightmares of Nazi atrocities against the Jewish people,” said Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO. “The world learned from the twentieth century that it did not do enough to stop the crimes of the Nazis which led to the genocide of six million Jews.

“The nations of the world - including first and foremost Russia which continues to aid and abet Assad’s brutality - must act to put an end to the inhumane actions of the Syrian government,” Mr. Greenblatt said. “These atrocities, which were committed against the Syrian people, are truly crimes against humanity.”