When security forces unearthed 25 decomposed bodies in the village of Anjar in Lebanon, anti-Syrian politicians feared the worst – that it was evidence of atrocities committed while the Syrian military occupied Lebanon.
Syrian troops entered Lebanon in 1976 to suppress a civil war. They maintained control of the area until tension built around the February killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri and left in April 2005. The bodies were found in December.
After an investigation by Lebanon’s public prosecutor, Saeed Mirza, the mass grave was discovered to be an old cemetery, with bodies dating from 50 years ago to 350 years.
