The Killing of 872 Civilians in May 2016, 498 amongst which were killed by government forces
SNHR issued a periodic report of the victims of May, which documented the death of 872 civilians.
The report mentioned that One day after the declaration of the Supreme Commission for negotiations to postpone its participation in the Geneva negotiations on 19 April, government forces and Russian forces resumed bombardment of areas beyond the control of the Syrian regime to return the pace of killings to what it was before the cessation of hostilities agreement.
The report refers to difficulties facing SNHR to document the precise number of armed opposition members since they are killed in battle fields not cities. In addition, some armed opposition groups keep the victims’ names confidential due to security reasons. Hence, we cannot obtain their names, images or any other details and therefore, the number of killed armed opposition members is far more than what we were able to record.
It also confirms that it is nearly impossible to obtain information about those kinds of victims due to the absence of any clear methodology, for several reasons. Neither Government forces nor ISIL declare their victims’ names or record it. Therefore, there is no clear and credible data to rely on while documenting ISIL or government forces’ members.
Accordingly, the report only refers to the civilian victims who were killed by all parties, and comparing across them.
The report documented statistical view of the death toll of May 2016, where the government forces and its loyal militias killed 498 civilians, including 89 children at a rate of 3 children per day, 73 women, and 46 people were killed due to torture. The report said that the rate of children and women reached 33% among the civilian victims and this is considered as a stark indication of the deliberate targeting by government forces to civilians.
The report pointed out those allegedly Russian forces killed 49 civilians, including 15 children, and 6 women.
On the other hand, the report documented killing 6 civilians, including a child and one out of torture by the Kurdish self-management forces.
The report noted that the number of the victims who were killed by Extremist Islamic Groups reached 183 civilians; ISIL killed 178 civilians, including 21 children, 38 women, and 4 out of the torture; while Al Nusra killed 5 civilians.
The report provided statistical data of the victims who were killed by armed opposition factions which reached 91 civilians, including 19 children and 31 women.
The report documented the death of 15 civilians, including 8 children and three women by the international coalition forces.
The report included the death of 30 civilians, including two children and 4 women, who were killed either drowned in the immigration boats or in bombing incidents that the SNHR couldn’t make sure of its perpetrators, or by armed groups which are unidentified by SNHR.
The report affirms that government forces, its militias (Shabiha) and the Russian forces have violated the principles of the human rights international laws which protect the right to life. All the evidences and eyewitnesses’ testimonies prove that more than 90% of the wide and individual attacks targeted civilians and civil points.
The report also mentioned that the Extremist Islamic Groups committed extrajudicial crimes that amount to war crimes. Also the armed opposition factions as well as the Kurdish Democratic Union Party committed extrajudicial crimes that amount to war crimes.
The report asked the Security Council and the international institutions concerned to assume their responsibilities toward what happens of the killings that does not stop even for a single hour and the pressure on the Syrian government to stop the deliberate and indiscriminate bombardment against civilians.
As the report throw the financial as well as the ethical responsibility upon the Syrian government’s supporters and allies – Russia and Iran and China – and for what is happening of killing in Syria.