1,006 Civilians, including Three Media Workers and 12 Medical and Civil Defense Personnel, Documented Killed in Syria in the First Half of 2020 SNHR Documented 30 Massacres and 71 Victims Who Died Due to Torture

ARK News.. The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) announced in its monthly report released today that at least 1,006 civilians, including three media workers and 12 medical and Civil Defense personnel, were documented killed in the first half of 2020 at the hands of the parties to the conflict and the controlling forces in Syria, in addition to documenting 30 massacres and 71 victims who died due to torture during the same period.

The report documents the deaths of 1,006 civilians in the first half of 2020, including 218 children and 1113 women (adult female). This figure is broken down according to the perpetrators in each case, with 298 of the civilians, including 64 children and 24 women, killed at the hands of Syrian Regime forces, while 205 civilians, including 62 children and 48 women, were killed at the hands of Russian forces, and seven civilians, including one child, were killed at the hands of ISIS, while 17 civilians, including one woman, were killed by Hay’at Tahrir al Sham.

The report also documents the deaths of nine civilians, including two children and one woman at the hands of the Armed Opposition and the Syrian National Army, while Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces killed 34 civilians, including eight children and one women. The report also documents 436 civilians, including 81 children and 38 women, killed at the hands of other parties.

According to the report, the SNHR’s Victim Documentation team documented in June the deaths of 96 civilians, including 11 children and 10 women (adult female). This figure is broken down according to the perpetrators in each case, with 26 of the civilians, including five children and one woman, killed at the hands of Syrian Regime forces, while four civilians, including one woman, were killed at the hands of Russian forces, and Hay’at Tahrir al Sham killed five civilians, including one woman.

The report also documents the deaths of four civilians, including one child, at the hands of Syrian Democratic Forces, while 57 civilians, including five children and seven women, killed at the hands of other parties.

The report records that among the victims were nine of the medical personnel killed in the first half of 2020, four of whom were killed by Russian forces, while Syrian Regime forces and Hay’at Tahrir al Sham killed one each, and three were killed at the hands of other parties.

The report also documents that three of the media workers were killed in the first half of 2020, two of whom at the hands of Syrian Regime forces, while Russian forces killed one media worker.

The report also documents that three of the Civil Defense personnel were killed in the first half of 2020, all of whom at the hands of Syrian Regime forces.

According to the report, the SNHR’s working team documented at least 71 individuals who died due to torture in the first half of 2020; 63 of these victims died at the hands of Syrian Regime forces, while Hay’at Tahrir al Sham killed one, three at the hands of Syrian Democratic Forces, and four at the hands of other parties. According to the report, 14 individuals were documented killed as a result of torture in June, all of whom at the hands of Syrian Regime forces.

The report also documents 30 massacres in the first half of 2020, using the term ‘massacre’ to refer to an attack that caused the death of at least five peaceful individuals in the same incident. According to this definition, the report records in the first half of 2019 nine massacres committed by Syrian Regime forces, 11 by Russian forces, one by Syrian Democratic Forces, and nine massacres committed by other parties. The report also documents two massacres in June, both committed by other parties.

The report stresses that the Syrian government has violated international humanitarian law and customary law, and all UN Security Council resolutions, particularly resolution 2139, resolution 2042, and resolution 2254, all without any accountability.

The report calls on the Security Council to take additional steps following its adoption of Resolution 2254, and stresses the importance of referring the Syrian case to the International Criminal Court, adding that all those who are responsible should be held accountable including the Russian regime whose involvement in war crimes has been repeatedly proven.

The report calls on the Armed Opposition and the Syrian National Army to ensure the protection of civilians in all areas under their control, and urges them to investigate incidents that have resulted in civilian casualties, as well as calling on them to take care to distinguish between civilians and military targets and to cease any indiscriminate attacks.

Lastly, the report stresses the need for humanitarian organizations to develop urgent operational plans to secure decent shelter for internally displaced persons.

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