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71 Civilian Deaths Documented in Syria in November 2024, Including of 20 Children and Six Women, With Three Dying due to Torture

Israeli Airstrikes on Syria Kill Nine Civilians – Six Children and Three Women

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Press release: (Download the full report below)

The Hague – The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) revealed in its latest report, released today, that 71 civilians were killed in Syria in November 2024, including 20 children and three women, with three of the victims dying due to torture. The group also documented the killing of nine civilians – six children and three women – in Israeli attacks on Syria.

The 21-page report provides a summary of the civilian deaths that occurred in November 2024, shedding light particularly on victims who died due to torture, as well as documenting the massacres perpetrated by the parties to the conflict and controlling forces in Syria during this period. The report also outlines the action taken by SNHR in regard to the issue of documenting extrajudicial killings in Syria.

This report draws upon the constant daily monitoring of news and developments by SNHR’s team, and on information supplied by our extensive network of dozens of varied sources, as well as on the analysis of pictures and videos.

The report emphasizes the Syrian regime’s continuing absolute failure to register the deaths of hundreds of thousands of citizens killed since March 2011 in the civil registry’s official records. It explains that the regime uses the issuance of death certificates as an instrument of control, with these certificates not being made available to any of the victims’ families, whether these victims were killed by the Syrian regime or by other parties. The report adds that the vast majority of victims’ families are unable to obtain death certificates from the Syrian regime, for fear of linking their loved ones’ names with the regime, especially in cases of death due to torture, or if the victims were branded as ‘terrorists’ if they were wanted by the regime’s security services.

The report documents the killing of 71 civilians in November 2024. The Syrian regime was responsible for 11 of these deaths, including five children and one woman, while all armed opposition factions/Syrian National Army (SNA) killed two civilians. Furthermore, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) killed 11 civilians, including two children. Lastly, 47 civilians, including 13 children and five women, were killed by other parties.

As the report further reveals, Daraa governorate saw the highest number of victims, accounting for 34 percent of all civilian deaths in November, with other parties killing 22 victims in the governorate. Daraa was followed by Hasaka governorate with 17 percent of the total, where 12 civilian deaths were documented.

On the subject of deaths due to torture, the report documented three deaths due to torture, in November 2024. All four victims were killed by regime forces. Moreover, the report notes that one medical worker was killed by other parties this month. Meanwhile, the report documents three massacres in the month of November 2024 at the hands of the parties to the conflict and controlling forces.

The report stresses that the airstrikes carried out by fixed-wing Israeli warplanes across extensive civilian areas of Lebanon have killed hundreds of civilians, including at least 111 Syrian refuges, among them 39 children and 20 women, between September 23, 2024, and December 2024.

Conclusions

The report additionally notes that the evidence collected by SNHR indicates that some of the attacks documented in the report were deliberately directed against civilians and civilian objects, with indiscriminate bombardment resulting in the destruction of more vital facilities and other buildings. Moreover, the report notes, there are reasonable grounds to believe that these attacks constitute war crimes under international law.

As the report also notes, the use of remote bombing to target densely populated areas reflects a criminal mindset, showing that the Syrian regime is intent on deliberately inflicting the greatest possible number of deaths, in clear contravention of international human rights law and flagrant violation of the Geneva IV Convention, Articles 27, 31, and 32.

The report further notes that no warnings have been given by Syrian regime forces and their allies, including Russian forces, or US-led International Coalition forces before carrying out any of their attacks, as required by international humanitarian law. This has been the case since the beginning of the popular uprising in Syria, which shows an utter disregard for the lives of civilians.

Moreover, the report explains, it is clear from the volume of violations, their repeated nature, and the excessive level of force used, as well as the indiscriminate manner of the bombardment and the coordinated nature of these attacks, that they must be the result of orders from the highest echelons of power, carried out in accordance with deliberate state policy.

All armed opposition factions/SNA, meanwhile, have violated Security Council resolution 2139 through carrying out attacks that constitute violations of international humanitarian law, resulting in civilian deaths and injuries.

Recommendations

The report calls on the UN Security Council to take additional steps following its adoption of resolution 2254 and stresses the importance of referring the Syrian dossier to the International Criminal Court (ICC), in order to hold all those involved in perpetrating crimes against humanity and war crimes accountable.

The report also urges all relevant UN agencies to make far greater efforts to provide humanitarian assistance, including food and medical aid, in areas where fighting has ceased, and in internally displaced persons (IDPs)’ camps, and to follow up on payment with those states that have pledged voluntary contributions.

The report additionally calls for the implementation of the ‘Responsibility to Protect’ norm (R2P) after all political channels have been exhausted, including past agreements and cessation of hostilities statements, stressing the need to resort to Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nation, and to invoke the principle of Responsibility to Protect.

The report further stresses that maps must be created to reveal the locations of landmines and cluster munitions in all Syrian governorates. This, it explains, would facilitate the process of clearing these lethal munitions, and protect civilians from this lethal theat.

The report additionally calls on the Independent International Commission of Inquiry (COI) to launch extensive investigations into the cases included in this report and previous reports, and confirms SNHR’s willingness to cooperate and to provide further evidence and data in any such investigations, as well as calling on the commission to focus on the issue of landmines and cluster munitions in its next reports.

The report also stresses that the Syrian regime must stop the indiscriminate shelling and targeting of residential areas, hospitals, schools, and markets, as well as ending its acts of torture that have caused the deaths of thousands of Syrian citizens in detention centers.

Lastly, the report reiterates SNHR’s appeal to all the parties to the conflict to provide detailed maps of the locations where they have planted landmines, especially those present in civilian locations or areas near residential communities.

The report provides additional recommendations that aim to achieve justice and protect civilians in Syria.

Download the full report

Between Pain and Agony: 12 Years of Chemical Weapons Crimes in Syria

No Fewer than 1,514 Syrian Citizens Have Suffocated to Death in Chemical Weapons Attacks, including 214 Children and 262 Women, with 12,000 Injured Still Awaiting Accountability for the Syrian Regime

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The Hague – Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR)

Having been formally approved at the 20th session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), held in 2015, November 30 of every year is observed as the Day of Remembrance for All Victims of Chemical Warfare. This occasion is both a symbolic memorialization of the victims and recognition by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) of the continuing suffering of the survivors of chemical weapons attacks and of their right to effective support and advocacy. On this day, the state parties to the OPCW reaffirm their commitment to bringing about a world truly free of the threat of chemical weapons.

The OPCW commemorates this day in the course of the annual Conference of the State Parties (CSP-29), which will be held this year on November 25-29, 2024. Meanwhile, this year, marks 11 years since the Syrian regime has ratified the Convention, yet the perpetrators are still walking free, as the regime has repeated its crime of using chemical weapons hundreds of times, while tens of thousands of victims still await justice.

In the OPCW’s annual meeting, Fernando Arias, OPCW’s Director-General, told delegates that “despite more than a decade of intensive work, the Syrian Arab Republic chemical weapons dossier still cannot be closed.” He further revealed that that the OPCW Secretary has reported as many as 26 outstanding issues since 2014 with respect to the Syrian regime’s chemical weapons stockpile. Of these 26 outstanding issues, only seven have been addressed. “The substance of the remaining 19 outstanding issues is of serious concern, as it involves large quantities of potentially undeclared or unverified chemical warfare agents and chemical munitions.” Mr. Arias stressed.

The world has borne witness to horrifying and repeated use of chemical weapons in the Syrian conflict by the Syrian regime that used these internationally prohibited weapons against unarmed and defenseless civilians.

Chemical weapons, by their very nature, do not distinguish between fighters and civilians. They wreak havoc on all those affected by them, but particularly on the most vulnerable group, such as children, women, and elderly people. In addition to causing deaths, these attacks inflict serious injuries, disfigurement, and burns, not to mention chronic disease that can stay with the survivors for as long as they live. In addition, they leave profound, long-term psychological scars and traumas.

On this date every year, the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) sheds light on the massive casualty toll resulting from the use of chemical weapons in Syria, reminding the world that thousands of victims still await justice and accountability for those who devastated their lives.

Download the full statement

On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women: SNHR’s 13th Annual Report on Violations Against Females in Syria

At Least 29,064 Females Have been Killed in Syria since March 2011, including 117 Who Died due to Torture, while 11,268 Are still Detained/ Forcibly Disappeared, and 11,553 Incidents of Sexual Violence Against Females Have Been Documented

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The Hague – The Syrian Network for Human Rights:

The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) today (November 25, 2024) released its 13th annual report on violations against females in Syria, marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The report notes that at least 29,064 females have been killed in Syria since March 2011, including 117 who died due to torture, while 11,268 are still under arrest and/or forcibly disappeared.

The 52-page report notes that there has been an escalation in the volume and range of violations endured by Syrian women, which have torn apart Syria’s social fabric. In addition, females have suffered significant adverse effects in the social, psychological, and economic realms as a result of these violations, in addition to the broader suffering endured by Syrian society as a result of the loss of the vast potential of female victims in all fields. The report further stresses that these violations have affected women’s fundamental rights, including housing and property rights, which have been further devastated as a result of increasingly commonplace criminal practices.

Documentation efforts and international recognition

The report highlights SNHR’s close coordination with various UN and international organizations to promote women’s rights in Syria and to combat the violations they have suffered. Chief among these entities is the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic (COI), the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM), the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and several UN Special Rapporteurs.

Figures on female deaths

The report documents the killing of 29,064 women and girls at the hands of the parties to the conflict and the controlling forces in Syria between March 2011, and November 25, 2024, with 22,092 of these female victims killed at the hands of Syrian regime forces, while 1,609 others were killed by Russian forces. In addition, a total of 981 females were killed by ISIS, and 91 by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Furthermore, the report reveals that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were responsible for the deaths of 287 females, while all armed opposition factions/Syrian National Army (SNA) killed another 1,325. Lastly, 961 females were killed in attacks by the US-led International Coalition forces, while 1,718 were killed by other parties.

Figures on arrests and other violations

With regard to arrest/detention, enforced disappearance, and torture, the report notes that no fewer than 11,268 of the females arrested since March 2011 are still detained and/or forcibly disappeared at the hands of the parties to the conflict and the controlling forces as of November 25, 2024, being divided as follows: 8,979 females are still detained and/or forcibly disappeared by Syrian regime forces, 49 by HTS, 983 by SDF, 981 by all armed opposition factions/SNA, and 276 by ISIS.

Female deaths due to torture

The report documents the deaths of 117 females due to torture in Syria since March 2011, including 97 who died in Syrian regime detention centers, 14 who died in ISIS detention centers, two who died in SDF detention centers, two who died in armed opposition/SNA detention centers, and one who died in an HTS detention center. Lastly, one female died due to torture at the hands of other parties.

Sexual violence

SNHR has documented at least 11,553 incidents of sexual violence against females, including girls under the age of 18, by the parties to the conflict and controlling forces in Syria since March 2011 up until November 25, 2024. Of these, the Syrian regime was responsible for 8,024 incidents of sexual violence (including 443 against female children), with ISIS being responsible for 3,487 other incidents (including 1,036 against female children), HTS for two, all armed opposition factions/SNA for 21, and the SDF for 19 (including two such attacks against female children).

Violations continue in 2024

The report stresses that 2024 saw more grave violations against women and girls, including:

  • Killing and maiming: This includes inflicting serious injuries or permanent disabilities.
  • Arbitrary arrest and enforced disappearance: Women were targeted for intimidation or to apply pressure.
  • Torture and sexual violence: Exacerbating psychological and social suffering.

The incidents documented show that the ongoing conflict is exacerbating the suffering of women and girls and intensifying the already devastating impact of the conflict on their daily lives and futures.

Consistent regime strategy in arresting and forcibly disappeared females since March 2011

The regime has adopted a deliberate approach to targeting women through arrests and enforced disappearance since March 2011. These strategies aim to intimate and consolidate control. Most of the females arrested have subsequently gone on to be categorized as forcibly disappeared.

Main patterns of targeting females

As SNHR’s database attests, women have been targeted under various pretexts, including gender-based, sectarian-based, and region-based violence, as well as over their roles in civilian, media, and human rights activities, and their participation in peaceful protests and humanitarian efforts.

Widespread torture and detention centers unfit to hold females

Women who are detained in regime detention centers face an interconnected series of violations, including various forms of widespread physical, psychological, and sexual torture. Reports have shown that as many as 72 methods of torture are used in regime detention centers amid inhumane detention conditions that include overcrowding, deliberate medical negligence, and depriving women detainees of the most basic standards of hygiene and ventilation.

Deaths of more forcibly disappeared persons acknowledged

Since 2018, SNHR has been able to document cases of forcibly disappeared persons, including females, being registered dead in the civil registry records by the Syrian regime, without the regime revealing the cause of death or returning the victims’ bodies to their families. A total of 23 cases of the registration of forcibly disappeared females’ deaths have been documented since 2018 up until November 25, 2024.

Violations persist despite international instruments

Despite the existence of an international legal framework designed to protect human rights, particularly women’s and children’s rights, the report stresses that violations against females in Syria have persisted for over 13 years. The report notes that some of these violations, such as extrajudicial killing, torture, and child conscription, qualify as crimes against humanity, while others qualify as war crimes when committed in the context of the armed conflict, as well as being grave violations of international human rights law.

Recommendations to limit females’ suffering in Syria

The report calls on all parties to the conflict to:

  • Adhere to international human rights law and the UN Convention on the Political Rights of Women, and end targeting of women and girls as well as attacks on schools, hospitals, and populated civilian areas.
  • Release detained females, end their torture, and separate female children from adult women in detention centers
  • End the use of civilian facilities for military purposes.
  • Provide psychological support for female survivors of violence and abuse, particularly those who have been subjected to sexual violence.

Calls for the international community

The report calls on the international community and UN Security Council to take a number of urgent actions, including:

  • Impose sanctions on the individuals and entities responsible for violations against females.
  • Support women’s protection programs in neighboring countries.
  • Provide support and protection for internally displaced women and women refugees.
  • Condemn the states supporting the Syrian regime for continuing to support the regime despite its contravening the UN Convention on the Political Rights of Women.
  • Meet the financial pledges made to support relief and protection programs aimed at women and children.

Conclusion

The report provides a number of additional recommendations to improve the situation of affected females and protect their fundamental rights, while underlining the importance of international accountability for perpetrators of these and all other violations.

Download the full report

SNHR Welcomes the US State Department’s Designation of a Regime Official and His Family for Sanctions, with SNHR Providing Evidence on Their Implication in Grave Human Rights Violations

Abdul Salam Mahmoud is the First Regime Security Official Whose Family Have Also Been Designated for Sanctions

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The Hague – The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR)

On November 15, 2024, the United States Department of State announced the designation of Brigadier General Abdul Salam Fajr Mahmoud, a senior officer in the Syrian regime’s Air Force Intelligence Directorate, for sanctions, alongside his wife Suhair Nader al-Jundi and four adult children, pursuant to Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2024.

This designation comes in response to Abdul Salam’s involvement in grave human rights violations, including torture, and other cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment or punishment. Section 7031(c) provides for imposing sanctions on foreign officials if they were found to be involved in grave human rights violations. These sanctions include a US entry ban for Abdul or their immediate family members, with the possibility of implementing these sanctions publicly and privately.

Born on May 20, 1959, Abdul Salam Fajr Mahmoud, from al-Fu’a town in Idlib governorate, is a Brigadier General affiliated with the Air Force Intelligence Directorate, one of the regime’s most powerful security branches.

Abdul Salam has held several posts in the Air Force Intelligence Directorate, most notably his current position as head of investigation at the directorate’s base at al-Mazza Military Airbase, which he has held since 2011.

His name has been associated with numerous systematic and grave human rights violations, including enforced disappearance and torture in regime detention centers. The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) has documented many of these violations, including deaths due to torture and inhumane detention conditions.

Abdul Salam Mahmoud is the First Regime Security Official to be Designated With His Family

The designation of Abdul Salam Mahmoud alongside his family members for sanctions is the first case of its kind, i.e., of a regime security official being designated alongside his family. This action has been taken to block any attempt to circumvent sanctions by those involved in grave violations through transferring their funds or assets to their family members, a method commonly used by sanctioned individuals to evade restrictions. With family members also being designated, however, some of the gaps used to circumvent sanctions are thereby closed, making these sanctions far more effective.

Beside the technical aspects of such sanctions, this action is a strong symbolic message demonstrating the US Department of State’s seriousness in combating the Syrian regime’s networks of influence, further escalating its efforts to impose greater political pressure on the regime and its security apparatus.

SNHR’s Supporting Role

SNHR has played an instrumental role in making this decision a reality. For one, the group has supplied the US Department of State with detailed and verified information on Abdul Salam Mahmoud and his family members. SNHR always strives to provide accurate data based on clear evidence concerning those involved in grave violations, including their family members who, as mentioned above, can be used by these individuals to evade sanctions.

This forms part of SNHR’s efforts to promote accountability and close gaps which serve impunity, making for stronger accountability mechanisms and the prevention of circumvention networks.

Sanctions and Other Past International Decision

This designation comes one year after the Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued its Order on November 16, 2023, calling on the regime to take immediate action to end torture and cruel or degrading treatment, and preserve the evidence on such crimes.

Despite this ruling, however, the regime has utterly failed to comply with the ICJ Order. In fact, SNHR, in its fourth periodic monitoring report released on November 15, 2024, documented the regime’s continuing violations of the ICJ decisions, documenting at least 84 deaths due to torture and the arrest of 1,161 civilians, including 18 children and 43 women, in the past year alone.

Calls for Promoting International Efforts and Recommendations to Ensure the Effectiveness of Sanctions

SNHR must stress that these sanctions can be made truly effective only through integrated international efforts, meaning that states must expand the scope of their implementation of sanctions and freeze the assets of implicated officials wherever they are in order to put more pressure on the regime and undermine its ability to circumvent these restrictions. SNHR calls for:

  1. Expand the scope of international sanctions

SNHR calls on all states to designate more regime officials implicated in grave violations alongside their family members for sanctions, including asset freezes and entry bans.

  1. Promote support for international accountability

UN member states, particularly UN Security Council permanent members, must support the referral of the violations file in Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

  1. Invoke cross-border justice mechanisms

Encourage states to invoke universal jurisdiction to prosecute perpetrators of crimes against humanity and war crimes associated with the Syrian regime before national courts.

  1. Impose sanctions on the regime’s financial networks

Direct international efforts to dismantle the financial and economic networks used by the regime to circumvent sanctions through targeting all entities involved, including individuals and companies that serve as fronts for the regime.

Designating security officials for sanctions is an additional step in the right direction, taken as part of the international efforts to promote accountability for the innumerable heinous crimes and violations committed in Syria. These sanctions send a clear message to the Syrian regime and its allies that their crimes will not go unpunished, while also undermining their financial support networks which are used by the regime to righten its political and security grip.

These actions are particularly crucial in light of the failure of many past international accountability mechanisms, such as the failure to invoke the ICC, the lack of any viable prospects for a political democratic transition, and the growing trend of restoring relations with the regime despite its well-documented implication in crimes against humanity against the Syrian people, with these crimes still continuing to this day.

On World Children’s Day: SNHR’s 13th Annual Report on Violations Against Children in Syria

At Least 30,293 Children Have been Killed in Syria Since March 2011, Including 225 Who Died due to Torture, While 5,298 Children Are still Detained and/or Forcibly Disappeared

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The Hague – The Syrian Network for Human Rights:

The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) today released its 13th annual report on violations against children in Syria, marking this year’s World Children’s Day. In the report, the group reveals that at least 30,293 children have been killed in Syria since March 2011, including 225 who died due to torture, while 5,298 children are still detained and/or forcibly disappeared.

The 40-page report notes that children have been afflicted by the escalating and increasing levels of serious violations by the various parties to the conflict. These violations have worsened the already extremely unsafe environment for children in Syria, who live under the constant threat of violence, undermining their fundamental rights and daily lives. Children have endured various types of violations which have also been perpetrated against adults, ranging from death and severe injury resulting in permanent disfigurement, to arbitrary arrest of hundreds of children, as well as enforced disappearance, with thousands of children classified as ‘missing’ for years away from their families. The report also documents various forms of torture being used, as well as conscription by the various parties to the conflict, with torture being one of the most horrendous types of violations endured by children in Syria. Other violations include denial of education and of essential healthcare services.

Documentation efforts and international recognition

The report mentions the UN-Secretary General’s annual report on children and armed conflict for the year 2023, which documents 1,574 grave violations against children in 2023, and underlines SNHR’s continued commitment to documenting these ongoing violations and supplying the UN with accurate information about war crimes against children in Syria.

Elsewhere, the report reveals that SNHR nominated a Syrian brother and sister, Ahmed and Sana Abdul Karim Zeer, for the 2024 Children’s Peace Prize in recognition of their role in in supporting their fellow conflict-affected children and highlighting their suffering.

Figures on violations against children

The report documents the killing of 30,293 children at the hands of the parties to the conflict and the controlling forces in Syria since March 2011, with 23,058 of these child victims having been killed at the hands of Syrian regime forces, while 2,059 were killed by Russian forces. In addition, a total of 959 children were killed by ISIS, and 76 were killed by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Furthermore, the report adds, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were responsible for the killing of 274 children, while all armed opposition factions/Syrian National Army (SNA) killed 1,010 children. Lastly, 927 children were killed in attacks by US-led International Coalition, while 1,930 children were killed by other parties.

Extensive figures on arrests and violations against children

With regard to arrest/detention, enforced disappearance, and torture, the report notes that no fewer than 5,298 children are still detained and/or forcibly disappeared by the parties to the conflict and the controlling forces as of November 20, 2024. These are divided as follows: 3,702 children are still detained and/or forcibly disappeared by Syrian regime forces, 319 by ISIS, 47 by HTS, 859 by SDF, and 371 by all armed opposition factions/SNA.

Child deaths due to torture in detention centers

The report records that 225 children have died due to torture in Syria since March 2011 up until November 20, 2024, including 216 children who died in regime detention centers, accounting for about 96 percent of the total, while two died in HTS detention centers, one at the hands of ISIS, three at the hands of SDF, and one at the hands of all armed opposition factions/SNA. Lastly, two children have died due to torture at the hands of other parties.

Attacks on educational and medical facilities

Additionally, the report documents that no fewer than 1,714 of the schools and kindergartens in Syria have been targeted by attacks carried out by the various parties to the conflict and controlling forces in Syria since March 2011 up until November 20, 2024. Of these attacks, 1,270 schools and kindergartens were attacks by regime forces, 222 by Russian forces, 48 by SDF, 38 by all armed opposition factions/SNA, 25 by US-led International Coalition forces, three by HTS, 25 by ISIS, and 83 by other parties.

The report also documents no fewer than 889 attacks on medical facilities in the same time period. A total of 562 attacks were carried out by regime forces, 209 by Russian forces, 19 by ISIS, 16 by all armed opposition factions/SNA, 16 by US-led International Coalition forces, 12 by SDF, two by HTS, one by the Turkistan Islamic Party, and 62 by other parties.

Child conscription

The report further notes that SNHR has documented at least 2,395 incidents of child conscription in Syria since March 2011, up until November 20, 2024, including 1,493 by regime forces, and 701 by the SDF. In addition, HTS was documented as conscripting 103 children, with a further 98 conscripted by all armed opposition factions/SNA.

Violations against children persists in 2024

The report records that grave violations involving violence against children by the parties to the conflict and controlling forces have continued throughout 2024. These violations include killing, serious injuries, maiming, conscription, arbitrary arrest, enforced disappearance, and torture. The recorded incidents highlight the daily suffering of children and the devastating ramifications of the conflict on their lives and future.

More children registered as dead: New documents reveal more violations

Since 2018, the report notes, SNHR has documented that the Syrian regime has been registering the deaths of forcibly disappeared persons, including children, in the civil registry records without revealing any details about the victims’ cause of death or returning their bodies to their families. New documents that surfaced in 2024 have revealed the deaths of at least 50 of the forcibly disappeared children who had been registered as dead in the civil registry records between 2018 and 2024.

Harrowing patterns of sexual violence in detention centers

As the report further reveals, children detained in regime detention centers have experienced several patterns of sexual violence, which is one of the cruelest forms of torture. These patterns include forcible stripping, beating on the genitals, molestation, and rape, in addition to verbal and sexual violence. The report clarifies that documenting these violations or assessing their real frequency is a challenging task in itself, given the victims’ fear of speaking out about their experiences. Still, SNHR has documented 539 cases of sexual violence against children since 2011.

Child conscription: a systematic policy by SDF

The report highlights a systematic child conscription policy enacted by the SDF, which has led to children making up a key part of the SDF’s ranks, under the supervision of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The report also reveals that the affiliated People’s Protection Units (YPG), which were founded in 2012, have greatly expanded their conscription of children across all areas under their control.

Violations persist despite international instruments

Despite the abundance of international legal instruments put in place to protect children, the report stresses that violations against children in Syria have not stopped for over 13 years, with all parties to the conflict failing to respect any of these laws. Some of these violations, including extrajudicial killing, enforced disappearance, torture, and child conscription, have amounted to crimes against humanity, while others amount to war crimes when committed in the context of the armed conflict, as well as being grave violations of international human rights law.

Recommendations to limit the suffering of Syrian children

The report calls on all parties to the conflict to:

  • Respect international human rights law and the provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, stop targeting children and areas where children are present
  • Release detained children, end all torture of child detainees, and separate them from adults in detention centers.
  • Follow the Beijing Rules on trying children.
  • End child conscription and discharge children from military forces.
  • End the use of schools and healthcare facilities for military purposes.
  • Provide psychological support for conflict-affected children

A call for the international community

The report calls on the international community and the UN Security Council to take urgent actions, including:

  • Impose sanctions on individuals and entities responsible for violations against children.
  • Promote protection and education programs for children in asylum countries.
  • Provide support and protection for internally displaced and refugee children.
  • Condemn the states supporting the Syrian regime for supporting the regime despite the regime’s multiple contraventions of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
  • Meet the pledges made to fund relief and protection programs for children.

Conclusion

The report also offers a number of other recommendations to improve the situation of children who are affected by the conflict and to ensure their fundamental rights, placing emphasis on the importance of ensuring international accountability for all the violating parties.

Download the full report

In the One Year Since the ICJ Issued its Order, the Syrian Regime Has Killed at Least 84 Individuals through Torture, and Arrested At least 1,161 Civilians, Including 18 Children and 43 Women

SNHR’s Fourth Periodic Monitoring Report Proves the Syrian Regime’s Violation of the ICJ’s Order, Calling on the Court to Conduct an Official Evaluation of the Regime’s Compliance

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The Hague – The Syrian Network for Human Rights:

The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) today released its fourth periodic monitoring report on the one-year anniversary of the issuance of the Order by the Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) on November 16, 2023. The Order was issued in response to a case brought before the ICJ by Canada and the Netherlands against the Syrian Arab Republic. The report stresses that the Syrian regime has killed 84 individuals through torture and arrested 1,161 civilians, including 18 children and 43 women, in the year since the ICJ Order was issued.

The 23-page report finds that that the Syrian regime had failed to take any actual action to end torture, nor has it taken any action whatsoever to comply with the ICJ Order’s requirements. On the contrary, the humanitarian situation in Syria has only grown more dire since the ICJ Order was issued due to the regime’s practices, including arbitrary arrest, torture, and enforced disappearance, in addition to its amnesty policies that consistently exclude political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, and the recent government selections with figures implicated in crimes against humanity being appointed to senior government positions.

On the subject of arbitrary arrests, the report documents 1,161 arbitrary arrests at the hands of Syrian regime forces, including those of 18 children and 43 women, with all those detained being held in various regime detention centers since the ICJ Order was issued on November 16, 2023, up until November 16, 2024. Of the 1,161 people arrested, only 138 have been released, while the remaining 1,023 have subsequently been categorized as enforced disappearance cases. In other words, 88 percent of all people arrested in that period have subsequently been categorized as forcibly disappeared persons. This staggeringly high percentage suggests a systematic targeting of civilians, returning activists, and refugees, and further restrictions on freedom of opinion and expression, in addition to expanded arbitrary arrests on the ground of the Counter Cybercrime Act and military service laws.

As for torture, the report documents at least 84 deaths due to torture in regime detention centers, including those of 26 children, from the date of the ICJ Order being issued on November 16, 2023, up until November 16, 2024. In other words, 31 percent of all victims documented as dying due to torture were children. Only seven of the bodies of victims who died due to torture in this period have been returned to their families, while the overwhelming majority (about 91.67 percent) have not been returned, which again underlines the regime’s continuing enforced disappearance policy. Also among these victims were six former refugees who had voluntarily returned or been forcibly repatriated to regime-held areas, after which they were detained and subsequently died due to torture or medical negligence, accounting for about seven percent of the total. These figures provide further confirmation that torture is still being carried out in a systematic way in regime detention centers, with increasing numbers of children also being targeted. Meanwhile, the limited number of victims’ bodies that have been returned to the families highlights the regime’s continued use of enforced disappearance of victims as a policy.

Since the start of 2024, the report adds, SNHR has been able to obtain death certificates for newly discovered enforced disappearance cases that had not previously been publicly disclosed, which suggests that the Syrian regime is sending newly released information about forcibly disappeared persons to the civil registry offices to register their deaths, regardless of when the deaths took place. In the year between November 16, 2023, and November 16, 2024, SNHR documented the regime’s registration in the civil registry records of the deaths of no fewer than 43 people who had previously been documented as forcibly disappeared, including 26 children. In these cases, the cause of death was not provided, and the Syrian regime has not returned any of the victims’ bodies to their families and did not notify the families of their loved ones’ deaths at the time they took place. Among these cases are victims from the same families, political activists, and university students. Moreover, the Syrian regime has promulgated two legislative decrees providing for general amnesty in the year since the ICJ Order was issued on November 16, 2023, namely Legislative Decree No. 36 of 2023 and Legislative Decree No. 27 of 2024. However, arbitrarily arrested detainees and forcibly disappeared persons were explicitly excluded from amnesty in both cases. Meanwhile, despite the promulgation of two amnesty decrees, the regime continues to carry out arbitrary arrests, in which those detained, including women and children, are imprisoned in regime detention centers, and to routinely subject all detainees to torture. As the data recorded by SNHR suggests, these amnesty decrees have had no tangible effects with respect to limiting arbitrary arrests. That is to say, arbitrary arrests have continued at their usual high rates following the promulgation of each of the two decrees, with the same applying to torture, with 53 deaths due to torture documented between the promulgation of the first and second decrees, and 31 following the promulgation of the second decree up until November 16, 2024.

As the report further notes, even though the Syrian regime continues committing grave human rights violations, including extrajudicial killing, torture, and enforced disappearance, it still found it appropriate to hold elections for the People’s Assembly of Syria on July 15, 2024. Thes elections saw many nominees who were involved in human rights violations. Even worse, many of the individuals declared winners are even heads of pro-regime militias who were directly involved in military and security operations against civilians. The fact that such figures now have legislative power is just another manifestation and further evidence of the regime’s continuing impunity. Meanwhile, on September 23, 2024, the Syrian regime head Bashar Assad charged Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali with the task of forming a new government. This new government consists of 28 ministries, including at least 15 which have been designated for sanctions by the United States and the European Union, with Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali himself being one of those designated, over their implication in grave human rights violations that include brutal suppression of civilians, and various war crimes. In the newly formed government Minister of Interior Mohammad Khaled al-Rahmoun and Minister of Defense Ali Mahmoud Abbas were among the ministers who retained their positions, which those two have held since 2018. Both these ministers have played an instrumental role in managing and directing violations against civilians.

The report finds that the Syrian regime continues to commit grave human rights violations, including systematic torture, extrajudicial killings, and enforced disappearances, which have been consistently documented in regime detention centers. Evidence and first-person accounts suggest that these practices form a core component of the regime’s approach to detainees, including returning refugees, and have become fixed elements in the regime policy since March 2011, with no signs of change. The regime also continues to disregard UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions on the Syrian conflict. In this, the regime persists in holding ostensible elections and forming new governments even while continuing with violations against civilians and dissidents. This approach clearly and blatantly violates international resolutions, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive political settlement involving all Syrian stakeholders.

The report calls on the ICJ to be more effectively involved in the Syrian case, since this case is a genuine test of the credibility and power of the ICJ. As such, SNHR emphasizes, the ICJ must indicate further provisional measures and call on the UN Security Council to issue a binding resolution calling for ending systematic torture and condemning the regime’s contraventions of the ICJ’s decisions. Moreover, the report calls on the UN Security Council to impose targeted sanctions on Syrian officials who have been involved in torture and arbitrary arrest, and to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Corut (ICC), in addition to a number of other recommendations.

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    Property Violation Against Syrian Citizen A.F.

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    The Hague – The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) has notified the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing of the case of Syrian citizen A.F., born in 1970, from M’arba town in rural Daraa governorate.

    The violation(s) in question took place between 2012 and mid-2018, where Syrian regime forces and pro-regime militias carried out artillery and air bombardment that caused damage and destruction to a residential property and agricultural property owned by A.F. in his hometown. Syrian regime forces also burnt down the residential property owned by A.F. in October 2012. In addition, since 2015, the Syrian regime government’s Ministry of Finance has imposed a provisional seizure order against A.F.’s transferrable and non-transferrable assets in punishment for his involvement in the popular uprising against the Syrian regime, which began in March 2011, and for his anti-regime activism during the uprising.

    As is the norm in such cases, the Syrian authorities have not compensated A.F. and have denied him the freedom to dispose of his transferrable and non-transferrable assets, which were placed under provisional seizure.

    Since 2011, the Syrian regime has violated residential properties and civilian facilities as part of a policy that also involved laws deliberately designed by the regime to provide quasi-legal cover for and legitimize the looting, seizure, or destruction of properties. The regime has also been using provisional seizures of transferrable and non-transferrable assets as instruments to generate additional income by seizing and then disposing of these properties, and as a means of punishing dissidents and their families by imposing further legal, social, and economic restrictions on them.

    SNHR is the Most Cited Source in the Second Annual EUAA Report on Syria

    The Report Confirms that the Syrian Regime Continues to Arrest Returning IDPs and Refugees, Including Those Who Agreed to Status Settlements

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    The Hague – Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR)

    In October 2024, the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) released its latest Country Focus report on Syria.

    The report’s purpose is to provide relevant information that may assist in the assessment of applications for international protection, including those applying for refugee status and subsidiary protection, particularly for use in updating the EUAA’s country guidance document on Syria. The report covers the period between September 1, 2023, and August 2024.

    As the report notes, various documentary sources of information were used, including government reports, information from civil society organizations, advocacy groups, and humanitarian and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), as well as international human rights reports issued by different bodies, including the UN, Syrian and regional media outlets, academic publications, and think tanks.

    Among these sources the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) was the most frequently cited, being referred to a total of 184 times, followed by the UN Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) with 66 citations, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) with 56, and the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) with 47. In addition to these sources, the report draws upon other prominent entities, such as the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic (COI), UNICEF, Human Rights Watch (HRW), Amnesty International, the European Institute for Peace (EIP), the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP), and Save the Children.

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    SNHR is the Most Cited Source in the Latest EUAA Report on the Security Situation in Syria

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    The Hague – Syrian Network for Human Rights

    In October 2024, the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) released its latest report on the security situation in Syria. This report’s primary purpose is to provide relevant information to help with the assessment of international protection applications, including refugee status and subsidiary situation, particularly with respect to updating the EUAA’s guidance document on Syria. The report covers the period between September 1, 2023, and August 2024.

    As the report notes, a range of documentary sources of information were used in its compilation, including government reports, information from civil society organizations, advocacy groups, and humanitarian and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), as well as international human rights reports issued by different bodies, including the UN, and Syrian and regional media outlets, academic publications, and think tanks.

    Among these sources the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) was the most frequently cited, being referred to a total of 475 times in the report, followed by the UN Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) with 309 citations, and then the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) with 147 citations.

    In addition to these sources, the report draws upon other prominent entities, such as the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic (COI), the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), and Human Rights Watch (HRW).

     

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    At least 213 Arbitrary Detentions Recorded in October 2024

    The Syrian Regime Arrests 17 Refugees Who Returned from Lebanon

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    Press release: (Download the full report below)

    The Hague – The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) revealed in its latest monthly report released today that no fewer than 213 cases of arbitrary arrests were documented in October 2024, with those detained including eight children and one woman. The group also noted that the Syrian regime has arrested 17 refugees who were forcibly repatriated from Lebanon.

    The 20-page report notes that, given the staggering rates of continuing arbitrary arrests, the number of Syrian citizens classified as forcibly disappeared persons has skyrocketed, so much so that Syria is now one of the worst countries worldwide in terms of the numbers of ‘disappeared’ citizens. The report adds that the Syrian regime surpasses many of the world’s other authoritarian regimes by virtue of having absolute hegemony over the legislative and judicial branches of government. The regime has wielded this hegemony to promulgate a multitude of laws and decrees that violate international human rights law, as well as the principles of law established in the current Constitution of 2012. A part of this process, the report stresses, is legitimizing the crime of torture. Syrian law contains several texts that outlaw torture, yet other legal texts, including Act No. 16 of 2022 explicitly contradict these articles, and legitimize impunity for torturers.

    The report summarizes the arbitrary arrests/detentions and the releases of detainees from various detention centers. The report does not, however, include abductions carried out by unidentified parties. Another exception made by SNHR is of individuals detained for committing criminal offenses, such as narcotics-related offenses and murder. In other words, the report focuses on cases of a political nature or those related to the armed conflict. The report also touches upon the laws and decrees promulgated by the parties to the conflict in relation to issues of arrest and enforced disappearance in the period covered. In much of its reportage, the report incorporates a descriptive and analytical methodology.

    The report reveals that of the 213 arbitrary arrests documented this month, 194 were subsequently classified as enforced disappearances. Of the 213 arbitrary arrests, 131 were carried out by Syrian regime forces, with those arrested including three children and one woman; 18 were by all armed opposition factions/Syrian National Army (SNA), 43 by Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), including of four children, and 21 were by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), including of one child.

    The report also shows the distribution of October’s cases across all Syria’s governorates. Analysis of the data shows that Aleppo governorate saw the highest monthly number of arbitrary arrests/detentions, followed by Damascus governorate, then in descending order, Rural Damascus and Homs, Idlib, Deir Ez-Zour, and then Hama.

    The report additionally compares the number of arbitrary arrests/detentions with the numbers of releases of detainees. In this regard, the report stresses that the number of arbitrary arrests far surpasses the number of releases from detention centers, with the number of releases equaling approximately 30 percent of all the detentions documented on average; this confirms again that at least two or three times as many people are being detained as are released, primarily by the Syrian regime, which indicates that these arrest and detention practices are standard policy in comparison to the extremely limited numbers of people released by all parties to the conflict, but mainly from regime detention centers.

    The report further notes that more arrest/detentions of refugees returning from Lebanon were documented, while these people were fleeing the escalating Israeli offensive that has been going on there since September 23. These arrests took place at the regular and irregular border crossings separating Lebanon and Syria. Most of those arrested were taken to security and military detention centers in the governorates of Homs, Damascus, and Aleppo. SNHR documented the arrest of at least 17 refugees, including one woman, returning from Lebanon, most of them originally from Idlib governorate, on the pretexts of having failed to join the army or reserve forces as required by the regime’s conscription policies, and of entering the country irregularly.

    Moreover, there were other arrests/detentions targeting civilians by regime forces, including children, on the pretext of supposedly being affiliated with ISIS. These arrests/detentions were carried out during a raid and arrest campaign by personnel from the Syrian regime’s Air Force Intelligence Directorate in the National Hospital in Suwayda city.

    Additionally, regime forces carried out widespread arrests/detentions of civilians in the governorates of Rural Damascus, Damascus, Hama, and Aleppo on the pretext of military service evasion, accusing them of having failed to join the regime’s military or reserve forces as part of its mandatory military service policy. Most of these arrests were carried out during raids or at checkpoints, and even targeted individuals who had previously agreed to settle their security status with the regime in the areas that saw settlement agreements. Many of these arrests, the report notes, were carried out by personnel from the regime’s security branches for the purpose of extorting ransom money from the victims’ families.

    On a related note, the report stresses that, through the arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances carried out in October, the Syrian regime continues to violate the orders of the Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued in November 2023 on requesting provisional measures in the case brought by Canada and the Netherlands against the Syrian regime on the application of the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

    Meanwhile, the report notes, the SDF also continued enforcing the group’s policies of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance in October 2024. In pursuit of these policies, SDF personnel continued carrying out campaigns of mass raids and detentions, targeting civilians on the pretext of fighting ISIS, with some of these arrest campaigns backed by US-led Coalition helicopters. We also documented arrests/detentions of civilians over accusations of working with the SNA. Moreover, we documented more arrests/detention of civilians for forced conscription, with these detainees taken to SDF military training and recruitment camps, which are concentrated in SDF-controlled areas of Aleppo governorate. There were also arrests/detentions targeting civilians for their participation in anti-SDF demonstrations held to protest against the school curriculums being taught in school in SDF-held areas, with these arrests being concentrated in Manbij city in rural Aleppo governorate.

    The group also continued abducting children with the objective of conscripting them, with these children being sent to military training camps. The parents and families of these conscripted children are not allowed to contact them, with the SDF also refusing to disclose their fate.

    As the report further reveals, HTS detained more civilians in October 2024. These arrests, which were concentrated in Idlib governorate and some areas of rural Aleppo governorate under the group’s control, targeted media activists, political activists, and local dignitaries. Most of these arrests were carried out in connection with the detainees expressing opinions critical of HTS’s management of areas under its control. These detentions are routinely and arbitrarily carried out in the form of raids in which HTS members storm their victims’ homes, often breaking down the doors, or abducting their victims in the street or while they’re passing through temporary checkpoints. We also documented arrests/detentions mostly carried out as part of raids and mass arrests, or at checkpoints in Idlib governorate that targeted individuals over their participation in the recent anti-HTS protests in the governorate. Most of these arrests were concentrated in Idlib governorate. We also documented arrests/detentions of a number of individuals over their alleged affiliation with the anti-HTS Tahrir Party. These arrests were concentrated in Idlib governorate.

    Furthermore, the report goes on, armed opposition factions/SNA continued carrying out arbitrary arrests/detentions and kidnappings in October 2024, including of women. Most of these detentions were conducted on a mass scale, targeting individuals traveling from areas controlled by the Syrian regime or the SDF. In addition, the report documented detentions that exhibited an ethnic character, with these incidents concentrated in areas under the control of the armed opposition factions/SNA in Aleppo governorate. Most of these arrests occurred without judicial authorization and without the participation of the police force, which is the sole legitimate administrative body tasked with the authority to carry out arrests and detentions through the judiciary, as well as being carried out without any clear charges being presented against those being detained. We also documented raids and arrests by SNA personnel targeting civilians who were accused of working with the SDF, with these arrests being concentrated in some of the villages which are administratively part of Afrin city in Aleppo governorate. We also recorded arrests/detentions by SNA personnel of internally displaced persons (IDPs) returning to their homes in SNA-held areas, with these arrests being concentrated in Afrin city.

    Releases

    The report documents the regime’s release of nine individuals, including one child. Only one of these detainees was released in connection with Amnesty decree No. 7 of 2022. In Damascus governorate, we documented the regime’s release of two detainees from regime detention centers. The detainees in question were released after serving the full term of their arbitrary sentence, having both been imprisoned for about one year in regime detention centers. The report also documented the separate releases of six individuals, including one child, all of whom had been held for a few days without trial. Most of these detainees came from the governorates of Damascus and Daraa, with the majority having spent the duration of their detention in regime security branches.

    As the report further reveals, 11 individuals, including two children, were released from SDF detention centers, where they had been imprisoned for periods ranging from a few days to three months, with the majority of these released originally hailing from the governorates of Deir Ez-Zour or Aleppo.

    The report also documents HTS’ release of six individuals, including one child, from its detention centers in Idlib governorate, with the released detainees having been detained for periods ranging from a few days to four months, without any clear charges being brought against them.

    Elsewhere, all armed opposition factions/SNA released eight individuals, including one child, after detaining them for periods ranging from a few days to a few months without bringing any clear charges against them or putting them on trial. Most were released only after their families had been extorted into paying sums of money to secure their release.

    As the report further notes, SNHR’s data is now viewed as a reputable principal source of information by many UN bodies, being used in numerous statements and resolutions, including the draft resolution on the human rights situation in Syria (A/C.3/78/L.43), passed by a vote on Wednesday, November 15, 2023, condemning the Syrian regime’s continued serious violations of international law. This resolution also acknowledged that the documented number of detainees in Syria exceeds 135,000. Relatedly, the resolution holds the regime responsible for the systematic use of enforced disappearance, which, it notes, constitutes a crime against humanity.

    The report notes that the issue of detainees and forcibly disappeared persons has seen no progress in resolving despite its inclusion in several UN Security Council resolutions, as well as in UN General Assembly resolutions, such as the Kofi Annan’s plan, in Security Council resolution 2254 of December 2015, and finally in the statement on cessation of hostilities issued in February 2016.

    The report stresses that the Syrian regime has not fulfilled any of its obligations in any of the international treaties and conventions it has ratified, most particularly the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). It has also violated several articles of the Syrian Constitution itself, with thousands of detainees being imprisoned for long period without any arrest warrant for many years, without charges, and prevented from appointing a lawyer and from receiving family visits. Approximate 68 percent of all detentions have subsequently been categorized as enforced disappearance cases as the families of these detainees have not been informed of their loved ones’ detention location.

    The report further notes the Syrian regime has not ended arbitrary detention and torture practices and has failed to take any steps to comply with ICJ Order for provisional measures since its issuance on November 16, 2023. Even worse, the regime continues to imprison at least 136,614 arbitrarily arrested detainees/forcibly disappeared persons in its detention centers, a fact which further confirms that the Syrian regime continues to explicitly contravene the UN Convention against Torture, which the regime ratified in 2004.

    The report additionally notes that the other parties (SDF, HTS, and all armed opposition factions/SNA) are also all obliged to implement the provisions of international human rights law, and that they too have committed widespread violations through arrests and enforced disappearances.

    In the report, SNHR again calls on the UN Security Council to follow through with the implementation of its past resolutions (2042, 2043, 2139)

    The report stresses that the UN must form an impartial special committee to monitor cases of arbitrary arrest and reveal the fate of the 112,000 missing persons in Syria, 85 percent of whom are detained by the Syrian regime. The report adds that international pressure should be applied on all parties to immediately reveal their detention records in accordance with a set timetable, and to immediately make detainees’ whereabouts public, and allow humanitarian organizations and the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) to have direct access to them.

    Lastly, the report emphasizes that children, women, and invalids must immediately be released from captivity, and that detainees must not be used as prisoners of war.

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    89 Civilian Deaths Recorded in Syria in October 2024, Including of 25 Children and 12 Women, With Four, Including a Child, Dying due to Torture

    Israeli Airstrikes on Syria Kill 12 Civilians, Including Four Children and Six Women

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    Press release: (Download the full report below)

    The Hague – The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) revealed in its latest report, released today, that 89 civilians were killed in Syria in October 2024, including 25 children and 12 women, with four of the victims, one of them a child, dying due to torture. The group also documented the killing of 12 Syrian refugees in the Israeli offensive on Lebanon, including four children and six women.

    The 29-page report provides a summary of the civilian deaths that occurred in October 2024, shedding light particularly on victims who died due to torture, as well as documenting the massacres perpetrated by the parties to the conflict and controlling forces in Syria during this period. The report also outlines the action taken by SNHR in regard to the issue of documenting extrajudicial killings in Syria. The report includes a summary of the attacks carried out against vital facilities during this month as well.

    This report draws upon the constant daily monitoring of news and developments by SNHR’s team, and on information supplied by our extensive network of dozens of varied sources, as well as on the analysis of pictures and videos.

    The report emphasizes the Syrian regime’s continuing absolute failure to register the deaths of hundreds of thousands of citizens killed since March 2011 in the civil registry’s official records. It explains that the regime uses the issuance of death certificates as an instrument of control, with these certificates not being made available to any of the victims’ families, whether these victims were killed by the Syrian regime or by other parties. The report adds that the vast majority of victims’ families are unable to obtain death certificates from the Syrian regime, for fear of linking their loved ones’ names with the regime, especially in cases of death due to torture, or if the victim was branded as a ‘terrorist’ if they are wanted by the regime’s security services.

    The report documents the killing of 89 civilians in October 2024. The Syrian regime was responsible for 12 of these deaths, including three children, , while Russian forces were responsible for another 11, including four children. All armed opposition factions/Syrian National Army (SNA) killed one woman, whereas Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) killed three civilians, including one child, and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) killed one civilian. Lastly, 61 civilians, including 17 children and 11 women, were killed by other parties.

    As the report further reveals, Daraa governorate saw the highest number of victims, accounting for 26 percent of all civilian deaths in October, with other parties killing 21 victims in the governorate. Daraa was followed by Idlib governorate with 19 percent of the total, with 16 of all the victims killed in the governorate being killed by Syrian-Russian alliance forces.

    On the subject of deaths due to torture, the report documented four deaths due to torture, including of one child, in October 2024. All four victims were killed by regime forces. Moreover, the report notes that two medical personnel were killed by other parties this month.

    The report stresses that the airstrikes carried out by fixed-wing Israeli warplanes across extensive civilian areas of Lebanon have killed hundreds of civilians, including at least 101 Syrian refuges, among them 36 children and 19 women, between September 23, 2024, and October 31, 2024.

    The report further reveals that SNHR documented 10 attacks on vital civilian facilities in October 2024.

    Conclusions

    The report additionally notes that the evidence collected by SNHR indicates that some of the attacks documented in the report were deliberately directed against civilians and civilian objects, with indiscriminate bombardment resulting in the destruction of more vital facilities and other buildings. Moreover, the report notes, there are reasonable grounds to believe that these attacks constitute war crimes under international law.

    As the report also notes, the use of remote bombing to target densely populated areas reflects a criminal mindset, showing that the Syrian regime is intent on deliberately inflicting the greatest possible number of deaths, in clear contravention of international human rights law and flagrant violation of the Geneva IV Convention, Articles 27, 31, and 32.

    The report further notes that no warnings have been given by Syrian regime forces and their allies, including Russian forces, or US-led International Coalition forces before carrying out any of their attacks, as required by international humanitarian law. This has been the case since the beginning of the popular uprising in Syria, which shows an utter disregard for the lives of civilians.

    Moreover, the report explains, it is clear from the volume of violations, their repeated nature, and the excessive level of force used, as well as the indiscriminate manner of the bombardment and the coordinated nature of these attacks, that they must be the result of orders from the highest echelons of power, carried out in accordance with deliberate state policy.

    All armed opposition factions/SNA, meanwhile, have violated Security Council resolution 2139 through carrying out attacks that constitute violations of international humanitarian law, resulting in civilian deaths and injuries.

    Recommendations

    The report calls on the UN Security Council to take additional steps following its adoption of resolution 2254 and stresses the importance of referring the Syrian dossier to the International Criminal Court (ICC), in order to hold all those involved in perpetrating crimes against humanity and war crimes accountable.

    The report also urges all relevant UN agencies to make far greater efforts to provide humanitarian assistance, including food and medical aid, in areas where fighting has ceased, and in internally displaced persons (IDPs)’ camps, and to follow up on payment with those states that have pledged voluntary contributions.

    The report additionally calls for the implementation of the ‘Responsibility to Protect’ norm (R2P) after all political channels have been exhausted, including past agreements and cessation of hostilities statements, stressing the need to resort to Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nation, and to invoke the principle of Responsibility to Protect.

    The report further stresses that maps must be created to reveal the locations of landmines and cluster munitions in all Syrian governorates. This, it explains, would facilitate the process of clearing these lethal munitions, and protect civilians from this lethal theat.

    The report additionally calls on the Independent International Commission of Inquiry (COI) to launch extensive investigations into the cases included in this report and previous reports, and confirms the SNHR’s willingness to cooperate and to provide further evidence and data in any such investigations, as well as calling on the commission to focus on the issue of landmines and cluster munitions in its next reports.

    The report also stresses that the Syrian regime must stop the indiscriminate shelling and targeting of residential areas, hospitals, schools, and markets, as well as ending its acts of torture that have caused the deaths of thousands of Syrian citizens in detention centers.

    Lastly, the report reiterates SNHR’s appeal to all the parties to the conflict to provide detailed maps of the locations where they have planted landmines, especially those present in civilian locations or areas near residential communities.

    The report provides additional recommendations that aim to achieve justice and protect civilians in Syria.

    Download the full report

    A Dreadful Homecoming: Widespread Human Rights Violations Against Syrian Refugees Returning from Lebanon

    At least 26 returning refugees arrested by regime forces between September 23 and October 25, 2024, including one woman and one man who died due to torture in regime detention centers

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    Press release: (Download the full report below)

    The Hague – The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) today, Tuesday, October 29, 2024, released its latest report on Syrian refugees returning from Lebanon to Syria. The report, entitled ‘A Dreadful Homecoming: Widespread Human Rights Violations Against Syrian Refugees Returning from Lebanon’, stresses that at least 26 returning refugees were arrested by the Syrian regime between September 23 and October 25, 2024, including one woman, and one detainee who subsequently died due to torture in a regime detention center.

    The 20-page report notes that the already-vulnerable Syrian refugees in Lebanon have been struggling even more desperately to secure their basic needs, such as food, housing, and access to healthcare, in the midst of the recent escalation of hostilities in Lebanon. For the long-suffering refugees, finding a safe place or alternative refuge in Lebanon has been increasingly difficult, with many feeling they have no choice but to accept the grim inevitability of return to Syria despite the uncertain, volatile and dangerous security and living conditions in Syria. Faced with this agonizing dilemma, Syrian refugees are forced to decide which of two terrible and life-threatening fates is less intolerable for themselves and their families – remaining in Lebanon despite the lack of security and the struggle to secure basic needs or returning to Syria with no guarantees of safety or protection. Understandably, many have been forced to make complicated decisions that have only exacerbated their suffering and intensified the awfulness of the long-term humanitarian catastrophe which they and their families are enduring.

    The report further stresses that despite the return of some Syrians, whether voluntarily or forcibly, to Syria, the country remains a wholly unsafe environment, as the Syrian regime continues to enforce its oppressive policies, including arbitrary arrest, enforced disappearance, and torture. In fact, since the start of this year alone, SNHR has documented Syrian regime forces’ arrest of 208 deported Syrian refugees, including two children and six women. Among these 208 were six who are known to have subsequently died due to torture in regime detention centers. Moreover, the regime continues to introduce legislative articles and laws that aim to legalize the seizure of properties owned by refugees and forcibly displaced persons, as part of the regime’s systematic and calculated policy of consolidating its control over the lands and properties left by their owners.

    In the context, Fadel Abdulghany, SNHR’s Executive Director, noted in a statement condemning the widespread violations against Syrian refugees returning from Lebanon, “In light of the lack of any procedures put in place to guarantee the protection of returnees’ rights and safety, Syrian refugees returning from Lebanon have been facing security and legal challenges. These challenges underline the need to establish real and effective mechanisms to ensure the protection of returnees’ rights and the prevention of violations, especially by the regime’s security agencies. Deportations with no adequate guarantees will only exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Syria, which behooves the international community to take immediate action to improve the situation of returnees and ensure their basic rights.”

    The report documents several violations that have taken place against returnees. These include arbitrary arrest, enforced disappearance, torture, and conscription by regime forces, in addition to financial extortion and discrimination regarding aid distribution. The report also details some abusive measures adopted by the various other parties to the conflict in relation to their treatment of refugees arriving in areas under their control, including opening and closing crossings, conducting security background checks, and demanding that those returning first obtain a sponsor in the area, as well as the difficult humanitarian conditions endured by refugees at the crossings separating the different areas of control.

    As attested by SNHR’s database, between September 23 and October 25, 2024, Syrian regime forces arrested at least 26 refugees, including one woman, who were returning from Lebanon due to the ongoing hostilities between Israel and Lebanon. Four of those detained have been called up for conscription or service in reserve forces, while one is known to have died due to torture in a regime detention center, with the victim’s body later returned to his family. These figures reflect the unchanged nature of the regime’s oppressive methods against returnees and underline the utter meaninglessness of the nominal protective procedures adopted by the regime that offer no protection whatsoever for Syrian refugees. In other words, the violations that originally drove those refugees now compelled to return, to flee and seek asylum abroad in the first place, are all but identical to the violations now being perpetrated against returnees, with arrests, persecution, conscription, and enforced disappearance continuing to plague and devastate the lives of the long-suffering Syrian people.

    Moreover, the report reveals that while the regime has established 30 reception centers across Syria for Lebanese refugees, in the governorates of Rural Damascus, Tartus, Latakia, Homs, Hama, and Aleppo, most returning Syrian refugees, particularly those whose houses have been destroyed, remain homeless, without any official shelter. Many of them have been forced to rely on relatives or to establish informal encampments, while large numbers of others have simply been left with no home at all. While the returning Syrian refugees have also supposedly received aid from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) through the agency’s regime partners, this has been grossly inadequate and insufficient to meet their basic needs.

    According to the latest estimates, around 23,409 of the Syrian refugees who returned from Lebanon, or one-quarter of the total number of Syrian returnees, have headed for areas outside regime control. This is either because they are originally from these areas, or because they were attempting to avoid the security risks they may have faced in regime-held areas. Some of these refugees entered non-regime areas via al-Tabaqa crossing in the vicinity of Raqqa or al-Tayha crossing near Manbij in rural Aleppo, to access the northeastern parts of Syria that are under the control of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the governorates of Hasaka, Raqqa, and Deir Ez-Zour. Others, meanwhile, crossed into northeastern Syria via Awn al-Dadat crossing near Manbij to access the areas under the control of the Syrian National Army (SNA) and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

    The report notes that these crossings have seen frequent shutdowns by the controlling parties, forcing the returning refugees to live in the open air for days in harsh weather conditions and with a total lack of basic facilities, further exacerbating their already intense psychological and physical suffering. Refugees arriving in these areas, who are often trying to escape the risk of being arrested and hunted down in regime areas, still face worsening humanitarian conditions in the non-regime areas they escape to, including a lack of infrastructure and minimal access to basic assistance. Furthermore, returnees heading for these areas have to go through strict security procedures, including repeated screening of their political activities, while some are financially extorted by the local groups that control these crossings, where returnees have to pay large amounts of money to ensure safe passage.

    The report concludes by stating that all the data, verified by SNHR, confirms that the Syrian regime continues to practice arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and torture. This behavior constitutes another blatant violation by the regime of Syria’s obligations under international human rights laws, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Such practices underscore the lack of adequate safeguards to protect returning refugees and create an unsafe environment for their return. Moreover, a number of accounts suggest that returning Syrian refugees face systematic discrimination including in aid distribution, shelter provision, and financial extortion. This contravenes the principles of equality and non-discrimination stipulated in Article 3 of the Refugee Convention. This discrimination reflects an intentional political approach that marginalizes returnees and exacerbates their suffering.

    The report calls on the UNHCR to regularly provide clear information to refugees about the risks associated with returning to Syria, including consistent alerts on security and humanitarian conditions, and to emphasize their right to make independent and voluntary decisions about return without pressure. The report also calls on the UNHCR to refrain from endorsing any procedures the Syrian regime claims will ensure the safety of returnees and to closely monitor the implementation of any such measures on the ground. Additionally, the report calls on the UN Security Council and the UN to classify the issue of Syrian refugees and displaced people as an urgent international priority. In this context, the report calls on donor states to meet their financial commitments to nations hosting Syrian refugees, to improve resettlement programs for refugees in neighboring countries, and to increase financial aid to help these countries meet refugee needs and prevent refoulment.

    Download the full report

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    The Syrian Network for Human Rights aims to enrich the human rights culture in Syria, spread awareness among citizens regarding their civil and political rights, and train dozens of Syrians in various fields of human rights. SNHR wishes that Syrian citizens would enjoy their full legal and constitutional rights.


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