No less than 413 Individuals Killed in One Week including 54 Children
SNHR has released a report, in which the Network documents 55 major violations at least that were perpetrated by the parties to the conflict in Syria in the first week of round 4 of Geneva Talks, where 88% of the violations were at the hands of the Syrian-Russian regime.
The report notes that many acts of unlawful killing and bombardment operations were recorded even though Ankara Ceasefire Agreement has been in force since December 30, 2016, as the massacre rates have increased, and civilians and vital civil facilities are being targeted more heavily following the commencement of Geneva Talks.
The report also says that the detainees issue has yet to see any progress even though it was addressed in U.N. Resolution 2254 that emphasizes that all detainees, particularly children and women, must be released immediately. Furthermore, the report didn’t monitor any changes in the rates of arbitrary arrests in the areas under the control of the Syrian regime. Additionally, SNHR hasn’t recorded -according to the report- any unconditional releases by the Syrian regime from its detention centers, where such releases were part of prisoner exchange deals the regime struck with armed opposition, or by releasing detainees who are under the jurisdiction of the terrorism court after paying a cash bail, where the detainee remains on trial.
The report says that the death toll of the combat operations that were conducted in the period of time covered by the report has amounted to 413 individuals who are divided into 282 civilians, including 54 children and 35 women, and 131 armed opposition fighters. The Syrian regime killed 141 individuals – 99 civilians, including 24 children and 14 women, and 42 armed opposition fighters, while Russian forces killed 23 civilians including four children and nine women. In addition, 74 civilians were arrested.
The report adds that the Syrian regime forces and pro-regime militias are still denying the aids access to the besieged areas, where these militias detained, on Monday, February 20,2017, a number of trucks that were part of an aid convoy heading to Al Wa’er neighborhood in Homs city for a few hours, before the convoy returned without entering the neighborhood. This, certainly, doesn’t mean that the rest of the areas are in a better situation, as the aids are barely sufficient and, more importantly, the siege must be completely lifted -in accordance with the international humanitarian law and Security Council Resolutions- in all areas. The Syrian government is still demanding that the UN, the UN’s executive partners, or any relief organization have to ask for its permission before entering the besieged areas. However, the Syrian government, usually, denies permissions after an agonizingly and deliberately complicated procedures instead of facilitating access for aids.
The report documents no less than 55 violations that include combat and arrest operations during the first week of round 4 of Geneva Talks, taking place in February 20-27, 2017, including 42 violations at the hands of the Syrian regime forces, 4 by Russian forces, 1 by Self-management forces, 2 by armed opposition factions, and 3 by the international coalition forces in addition to 1 violation by other parties.
The report breaks down the types of violations that occurred, where 41 violations were through combat operations: 31 by Syrian regime forces, 4 by Russian forces, while 14 violations were through arrests including 13 at the hands of the Syrian regime forces alone.
The report calls on the United Nation to form a committee on the ground to monitor the violations of the ceasefire, identify their perpetrators, in cooperation and coordination with active local human rights organizations, and enforce sanctions and consequences that would deter the violators of the ceasefire agreement in order to preserve the continuity of the agreement, and save it from falling apart. Additionally, detainees must be released, and their fates must be revealed, and aids must be delivered to besieged areas.
Lastly, the report emphasizes that the international community has to link the ceasefire agreement with launching a political process that aims towards a transitional phase, resulting in a democratic regime, which will be an actual and real end for all the suffering of the Syrian people.