Syria Watch

Syrian Network for Human Rights: Detailed Account of One Month of Syrian-Russian Attacks on the Neighborhoods of Eastern Aleppo

October 20, 2016

Detailed Account of One Month of Syrian-Russian Attacks on the Neighborhoods of Eastern Aleppo
Human Rights Council must hold the Security Council Responsible for the Mounting War Crimes in Syria

I. Introduction
This is the third report that documents the most notable violations of human rights by the Syrian and Russian regimes in the neighborhoods of Eastern Aleppo after the second Cessation of Hostilities statement ended on Monday 19 September 2016 where government and Russian forces have escalated their indiscriminate attacks and military operations throughout Syria and especially in the neighborhoods of eastern Aleppo which will be the focus of this report. This report documents the most notable violations in eastern Aleppo’s neighborhoods which amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes over the course of one month since the second Cessation of Hostilities statement came to an end.

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Syria Justice and Accountability Centre: A Look Back on Russia’s First Year in the Syrian Conflict

October 20, 2016

SJAC Update | October 19, 2016

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“President Bashar al-Assad of Syria and President Vladimir Putin of Russia met in Moscow to discuss the military operations in Syria.” Source: Wikimedia Commons

A Look Back on Russia’s First Year in the Syrian Conflict

September 30, 2016 marked the first anniversary of Russia’s direct military involvement in the Syrian conflict. Although many onlookers initially believed that recent attempts to broker peace would succeed due to Russia’s leverage over the Syrian government, this has not turned out to be the case. Instead, Russia has disrupted the peace process by actively contradicting its verbal commitments for peace in Syria and supporting President Bashar al-Assad’s actions militarily as well as politically through the UN Security Council. The following includes a sampling of five actions by Russia that have been obstacles to peace:

1. Russia has encouraged and proliferated attacks on civilians

International humanitarian law (IHL) is the guiding framework for actions taken during warfare, including the treatment of civilians and those no longer participating in hostilities. Prior to direct Russian intervention, the Syrian government was already accused of committing numerous IHL violations, such as the targeting of hospitals and civilian populations, the forced displacement of civilians, and the use of chemical weapons. Instead of holding the Syrian government to a higher standard, Russia has instead increased the severity of Syria’s violations. Almost immediately after Russia entered the conflict in October 2015, for example, its air strikes targeted six medical facilities, and since then human rights groups have claimed the health crisis has worsened due to the continued destruction of health facilities. Moreover, Russia has been supporting Syria’s tactic of systematic forced displacement, such as advocating for humanitarian corridors to pressure civilians in eastern Aleppo to leave the area or be subject to attacks.

The Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC) is a Syrian-led and multilaterally supported nonprofit that envisions a Syria where people live in a state defined by justice, respect for human rights, and rule of law. SJAC collects, analyzes, and preserves human rights law violations by all parties in the conflict — creating a central repository to strengthen accountability and support transitional justice and peace-building efforts. SJAC also conducts research to better understand Syrian opinions and perspectives, provides expertise and resources, conducts awareness-raising activities, and contributes to the development of locally appropriate transitional justice and accountability mechanisms. Contact us at info@syriaaccountability.org.

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Syrian Network for Human Rights: Detailed Account of the Russian-Syrian Attacks on the Neighborhoods of Eastern Aleppo after 25 Days of the Second Cessation of Hostilities Statement

October 18, 2016

Detailed Account of the Russian-Syrian Attacks on the Neighborhoods of Eastern Aleppo after 25 Days of the Second Cessation of Hostilities Statement
The Security Council has to Prevent a Second Rwandan Genocide in Syria

I. Introduction and Methodology
SNHR team documented the breaches by the parties to the conflict after the second Cessation of Hostilities statement was approved on 12 September 2016. We highlighted these beaches in three reports in which we documented no less than 242 breaches where the Syrian regime and its ally the Russian regime perpetrated the most and greatest of these breaches.
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Syria Deeply: Weekly Update: Diplomatic Differences And Rebel Infighting

October 18, 2016

The Basics · The Government · ISIS · The Opposition · Global Players

WEEKLY UPDATE
Ocotober 14, 2016

Dear Readers,Welcome to the weekly Syria Deeply newsletter. We’ve rounded up the most important stories and developments about Syria and the Syrians in order to bring you valuable news and analysis. But first, here is a brief overview of what happened this week:Russia vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution calling on it, as a Syrian government ally, to halt its bombing campaign in rebel-held eastern Aleppo. The Syria Civil Defence, a group of volunteer rescue workers, said more than 150 people were killed in Syrian and Russian airstrikes on Aleppo this week.As the battle for Aleppo rages, the U.S. called for an investigation into possible war crimes committed during the Syrian conflict. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also asked the Security Council to officially refer the war crimes investigations in Syria to the International Criminal Court.This weekend, Russia and the U.S. are set to resume Syria peace talks in Lausanne, Switzerland; it will be the first meeting between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov since Washington broke off negotiations on Oct. 3.As foreign powers discuss diplomatic differences on Syria, on the ground rebel coalitions have also begun to crack. Extremist group Jund al-Aqsa announced that it would join the former al-Qaida affiliate, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham. The announcement came just as the Syrian government and its allied forces advanced in Hama province, recapturing five villages.The pro-government advance followed the withdrawal of Jund al-Aqsa and Ahrar al-Sham fighters from the Hama frontlines, where they had been fighting in a joint offensive since August. The two extremist groups turned on each other this week, clashing in Idlib province and the Hama countryside.

Weekly Highlights:

Seven Experts to Watch on Sieges in Syria

In the next installment of our “Experts to Watch” series, we highlight seven experts spreading news and analysis about the horrific conditions inside Syria’s besieged cities.

A Syrian boy arranges peppers at a market in the rebel-held area of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on September 19, 2016, after humanitarian relief failed to enter the city under seige. AFP/KARAM AL-MASRI

Syrian Girls Say Building Minds Will Help Build Futures

Marking this year’s International Day of the Girl, Fiona Duggan, of the children’s charity Theirworld, writes about the aspirations of Syrian girls she met in Turkey – a country where more than 60 percent of refugee girls are out of school.

Ethar Kassab, 15, from Aleppo, is in 10th grade and attends a Syrian school in Gaziantep. After school, she attends a club run by a group of Syrian engineers and physics teachers that teaches children how to operate and program robots. Rosie Thompson/ Theirworld

War in Translation: Giving Voice to the Women of Syria

Translating the words and voices of Syrian women is an act of witness that involves smuggling stories out of the embattled country in the hope that they will live on, writes Syrian writer and translator Lina Mounzer.

Syrian women walk in between destroyed buildings in the government-held Jouret al-Shiah neighbourhood of the central Syrian city of Homs on September 19, 2016. AFP/LOUAI BESHARA

Additional Reading:

Top image: Syrians gather by the rubble of a house destroyed by Syrian forces’ shelling in the town of Azaz, on the outskirts of Aleppo, in September 2012. AP/Muhammed Muheisen, File

Syrian Network for Human Rights: Last Two Hospitals in their areas in Damascus Suburbs Rendered out of Commission following a Bombing by the Syrian Regime

October 13, 2016

Last Two Hospitals in their areas in Damascus Suburbs Rendered out of Commission following a Bombing by the Syrian Regime

The Syrian and Russian Regimes Targeting Medical Personnel and Centers Goes back to pre-Geneva 1864

The targeting of medical personnel and centers by the Syrian and Russian regimes in Syria is unmatched in modern history and in this statement we record two hospitals that have been rendered out of commission. These two hospitals were the last operating hospitals in their respective areas.
The Syrian regime’s strategy has become glaringly blatant where the regime targets hospitals, markets, and schools in the areas that are out of its control in order to force the residents to agree to a settlement that would end in them being forcibly displaced to north of Syria or abroad.
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