With the crisis in Syria now dubbed an official civil war, and Russia being accused of meddling, the situation is all but ignorable. Amnesty International is now accusing the Syrian regime of war crimes.
According to reports, “Soldiers and shabiha militias burned down homes and properties and fired indiscriminately into residential areas, killing and injuring civilian bystanders. Those who were arrested, including the sick and elderly, were routinely tortured, sometimes to death. Many have been subjected to enforced disappearance; their fate remains unknown.”
The organization has also just released a 70 page report called Deadly Reprisals, detailing evidence that supports the claim of various human rights and war offenses committed by the regime. Amnesty International was able to substantiate their claims by investigating in northern Syria, though the country’s government gave no official authorization for entry.
The organization visited “23 towns and villages in the Aleppo and Idlib governorates”, and was able to talk with with individuals about the violence, “In every town and village visited grieving families described to Amnesty International how their relatives – young and old and including children – were dragged away and shot dead by soldiers – who in some cases then set the victims’ bodies on fire.”
The warfare and killings are said to be widespread as well as ceaseless. The Syrian government is targeting areas that are considered “opposition strongholds”, and apparently Amnesty International has received the names of over 10,000 people who were casualties of the violence, though the number is predicted to be higher.
Child welfare is another concern, with youths as young as nine years old being killed, arrested, and tortured, and Amnesty International is taking action to prevent more fighting. The organization has asked China and Russia, who was accused by Secretary of State Hilary Clinton of lying about giving arms to Syria, to cease all types of aid given to the Syrian government. Measures have also been taken to reach out to the Security Council to take action.
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