Human Rights Watch: In 2023, Syrians suffered from severe violations and hardships

Human Rights Watch issued its annual report on the human rights situation in more than 100 countries around the world.

The report confirmed that during the year 2023, Syrians suffered from severe violations and hardships due to the ongoing conflict, deteriorating economic conditions, and prevailing insecurity, and despite calls for a ceasefire across the country, hostilities continued, leading to civilian casualties and displacement. • Areas under the control of the Syrian regime security forces and militias continued to arbitrarily arrest, forcibly disappear, and mistreat people across the country.

"The authorities also continued to illegally confiscate property and restrict the return of Syrians to their areas of origin."

“Civilians in these areas are effectively trapped, lack the resources to move to another area, cannot seek asylum in Turkey and fear persecution if they attempt to move to government-controlled areas,” the report said.

According to the report, various factions of the Syrian National Army and the Military Police committed numerous violations against dozens of people, with impunity. In Idlib and western Aleppo,

“Indiscriminate attacks by Syrian-Russian military forces on civilians and vital civilian infrastructure continued.”

The report stated that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) continued to arbitrarily detain civilians, including journalists, noting that cases of child recruitment in SDF areas represent more than half of the cases documented throughout Syria. It explained that "drone strikes launched by Turkish forces, throughout the year, and hostilities between local armed groups supported by Turkey and the SDF led to the death and injury of civilians."

The organization's report stated that "the conflict over water between Turkey and the PYD Administration continued to endanger the right of about one million people to obtain water in Hasakah city and its surrounding areas."

By mid-2023, more than 90% of Syrians were living below the poverty line, at least 12 million people could not obtain or afford enough quality food, and at least 15 million people needed some form of humanitarian assistance to survive. More than 600,000 children suffered from malnutrition.

The report said, "Turkey deported thousands of Syrians to northern Syria in 2023. Turkish border guards opened fire randomly on Syrian civilians on the border with Syria.

They also tortured and used excessive force against asylum seekers and migrants trying to cross into Turkey."

In Lebanon, between April and May 2023, the Lebanese army summarily deported thousands of Syrians, including unaccompanied children, to Syria.

The Human Rights Watch report stated that the Arab countries re-included Syria into the League of Arab States without demanding accountability or reform. It stressed that the peace process led by the United Nations, including the Constitutional Committee, had not made any progress in 2023. Russia, Turkey, the United States, and Iran continued to "provide military and financial support to the warring factions.

275