SNHR issued a report in which it documented the continuing siege of Daraya and Al Wa’er neighborhood despite the cessation of hostilities is commenced.
SNHR considered the arrival of humanitarian aid to besieged regions is one of the simplest forms of cessation of hostilities from their point of view. Although what was achieved in that regard was hardly mentioned; compared with the cease of the siege.
The report indicated that despite the issuance of several previous resolutions of the Security Council which emphasized the need for the delivery of humanitarian assistance since resolution 2139 of 22 February 2014 and resolution 2165 of 14 July 2014 that the actual application had not been achieved. Then, the negotiating process through the Security Council resolution, 2,455 of 18 December 2015 took place, in addition to a new Security Council resolution 2268 of 26 February 2016 reaffirmed: “to immediately allow the entrance of humanitarian aid quickly, safely, and unimpeded to all parts and districts of Syria
SNHR affirmed that Daraya did not receive any assistance so far and the termination of aid to Al Wa’er Neighborhood was still taking place since 10 March 2016 till present. This didn’t mean that the rest of the regions were better; first because the aids were never enough, second and most importantly, that the siege must be stopped completely in accordance with the laws of International Humanitarian Law and the Security Council for all of the regions because the current Syrian Government required from the United Nations, implementing partners and any relief organizations, to obtain the consent to enter the besieged areas, and they were often rejected after passing the extremely complex deliberate, rather than to facilitate access of such assistance.
Fadel Abdul Ghani, director of the SNHR stated that “Every siege has imposed on some regions in addition to the prevention of humanitarian assistance is a clear and continuous violation to the statement of the Cessation of Hostilities, and this will lead to the collapse of the statement. The Syrian regime must bear the direct responsibility. Moreover, it seems that this is what they (Syrian Regime) aspires to through the continuation of the blockade, the perpetration of massacres in “Ma’arat Al Naaman” and “Kafr Nabel” as well as to the bombing of the civil defense headquarters in “Al Atareb”, and the continuation of the torture of detainees to death, and finally the starvation of the besieged individuals.”
This report and previous reports, and studies prepared by SNHR about the besieged areas, have shown that the Syrian government pursued vigorously and systematically imposed siege with the aim to let them surrender or die of hunger. The sick children and women, particularly pregnant women were subjected to redoubled threats. All that is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and war crimes.
The report recommended the international Security Council to apply the relevant decisions for the sake of delivery of humanitarian assistance and the termination of the blockade is a must, as nothing happened so far in this regard.
The report demanded the US government and Russia to pressure to realize fully the most basic requirement in the statement of the Cessation of Hostilities.