Greek Orthodox Victim in Syria: ‘They Shot Him in the Head and Killed Him’

One of the thousands who did not survive the attack in the city of Baniyas was Greek Orthodox, with the victim’s son describing the horrific scenes he and his family endured. Father Gregory, speaking to ERT News, recounts the massacre in Syria, saying: ‘The first time they searched our house in the morning, they didn’t attack us, but at night, they stole my car and broke its window. My father went down to check his car, and someone shot him in the head and killed him. They then stole his car as well. My father’s body remained on the road, and we couldn’t reach it because the road was closed, and they wouldn’t let the ambulance through to save people. After four hours, with the help of a member of the General Security, we managed to transfer my father’s coffin with a hearse.’ He further describes the battles between Alawites and Sunni fanatics in his neighborhood: ‘Many of our neighbors were killed, their houses burned, properties destroyed, and something unnatural happened. What you see with your naked eye cannot be described in words. The neighborhood was deserted by all its residents, and all shops were closed and vandalized. The killings were based on identity; they asked if someone was Alawite and then killed them. As Christians, we are affected only in terms of property. The only Christian killed in the city of Baniyas was my father.’ Another Greek Orthodox resident of Tartous spoke to ERT News, pleading not to disclose his details due to fear for his life and family. He describes the chaos of the new civil war that erupted last Thursday: ‘It is extremely dangerous. We fear the jihadists will break into our homes, as they did in Balma Kech, a Christian village near Tartous. We can’t move because the borders are closed. The road to Damascus is not safe. Personally, I will try to leave as soon as possible.’