Area of 15,000 soccer fields: Because they destroyed a total of 9,000 hectares of forested or agricultural land, more than 20 people in Syria had to pay with their lives for it.
After the severe forest fires in Syria last year, the government of President Bashar al-Assad had 24 people executed for arson.
They were convicted of “acts of terrorism that resulted in death and damage to state infrastructure and public and private goods,” said Syrian state media reports. According to the Justice Department, the convicts were executed on Wednesday. Eleven other people involved were sentenced to hard physical labor for life in connection with the fires.
A year ago, severe forest fires raged in northwestern Syria, displacing tens of thousands and wreaking havoc on arable land. According to official figures, almost 190 fires broke out in September and October of last year and reached 280 villages and towns. A total of 9,000 hectares of forested or agriculturally used land were destroyed – about an area the size of 15,000 soccer fields.
The Syrian Interior Ministry announced at the end of last year that it had identified the perpetrators and those involved in some of the fires. These testified to have started fires in several places in the provinces of Latakia, Tartus and Homs. There are strongholds of the supporters of Assad, who also visited the region personally and promised the affected families there financial support.
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