December 13, 2016
“The
reports that civilians - including children - are being massacred in
cold blood in their homes by Syrian government forces are deeply
shocking but not unexpected, given
their conduct to date. Such extrajudicial executions would amount to
war crimes,” said Lynn Maalouf, Deputy Director for Research at the
Beirut Regional office.
“Throughout
the conflict Syrian government forces, backed by Russia, have
repeatedly displayed a callous disregard for international humanitarian
law and utter disdain for
the fate of civilians. In fact, they have regularly targeted civilians
as a strategy, both during military operations and through the
mass-scale use of arbitrary detention, disappearances and torture and
other ill-treatment. As government forces gain full
control of eastern Aleppo the risk that they will commit further
atrocities raises grave fears for thousands of civilians still trapped.
“In
recent months the world, including the UN Security Council, has watched
from the side-lines as civilians have been slaughtered on a daily basis
and eastern Aleppo has been
flattened and transformed into a mass grave. The global inaction in the
face of such inhumanity is shameful. The lack of accountability for war
crimes and crimes against humanity has allowed the parties,
particularly government forces, to commit such crimes
on a mass scale. It is now crucial that
independent
monitors are deployed to ensure that the civilian population is
protected and that humanitarian access is granted so that life-saving
aid can reach all those in
need.”
Sara Hashash
Media Manager, Middle East and North Africa
Amnesty International – International Secretariat
Click here for ENTIRE AMNESTY STATEMENT
