On the “Buried Alive” Video
Yesterday a video was posted to the internet and claimed to be leaked by Syrian soldiers loyal to Bashar Al-Assad.
The video showed a man buried up to his neck. Soldiers speaking off camera are heard accusing him of trying to film footage and sell it to satellite TV channels. The soldiers identify the man as from the town of Qusair, in Homs. They are heard taunting him, ordering the man to say “I witness that there is no God but Bashar.” However, the man refuses and instead says “I witness that there is no God but God.” The commanding officer then issues an order and the soldiers continue covering the man’s head with soil, completing the burial. The video cuts off there and the fate of the man is not known.
Suspicions about the authenticity of the video arose immediately due to several factors. The video’s original publisher is not known and it was not carried by any of the known activist networks in Syria. The earliest copy of the video, which was traced back to a Facebook rather than YouTube post (which is the standard), has since been deleted.
Al-Ayyam has been in contact with activists and FSA officers throughout Homs. Activists in Qusair investigated the claim that the man is from their town. Unfortunately as the man’s face is covered in the video he could not be identified. However, the activists report that all their peers are accounted for. Their efforts included surveying refugees from Qusair in other towns, however, it is impossible to completely rule out that the man is in fact from their town.
Other activists and local news networks in Homs did not have any information about the publisher of the burial video either, nor any leads for us to follow. FSA officers operating within the Central Regions Command which encompasses Qusair said they could not even confirm that the video was filmed in Homs.
There is great interest in this video by the media and activists alike. However, given the circumstances in Syria any real investigation is impossible. This is something we would usually automatically file “controversial and unverifiable” but given its significance we will continue to monitor developments in hopes for a breakthrough. (Hopefully someone will do a frame-by-frame analysis).
Couple of things about the video. First, the man in the hole moves in reaction to the shovel. It does not seem that he is already dead, as some have suggested. Second, the audio on the tape would be difficult though not impossible to fake. It would require some acting skill and some sophisticated editing. Third, if it is a fake, the live man upon whom dirt is throw is being put in a lot of danger. The pressure of the dirt itself can quickly suffocate most people. Moreover his nose and mouth are completely covered by the end of the video. Digging him out without serious injury would be quite difficult. For it to be a “fake” those who made it would have to have very little concern for the man in the hole. The only other explanation would be that it is rebels burying an enemy alive, while dressed as Syrian Army. This is possible, but requires somersaults I am not prepared to do in order to give the Assad regime the benefit of the doubt. Much more likely is that it is real, it is the Syrian Army burying a man alive. THe where and when are still unclear, and in this regard there may be some manipulation. But it seems fairly reasonable to conclude that it does show a violation of human rights by forces loyal to the Assad regime.
Here’s the link to the video. It hasn’t been taken down. The uploaders’ account is still on you-tube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdF8J_6w8Bg&list=UUhXJvVuRCNweR8QAKANa81w&index=1&feature=plcp
The original posted on Facebook has since disappeared.