By Eileen Gould
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

DARAA, Syria – Syrian military forces stormed a mosque in the southern town of Daraa on Saturday, killing at least four.  Opponents of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime had turned the mosque into a temporary hospital for those who were injured in the military’s assault on the town.

In the early morning hours, soldiers, backed by tanks and helicopters, attacked Daraa and seized control of the mosque.  According to witnesses, snipers took positions in the mosque’s minaret.  In addition, this incident was the first time helicopters were used against the opposition.  Three helicopters were used in the attack.

Witnesses indicated that Daraa is running out of food and medicine.  Water, electricity and telephones have been cut off for almost a week.  Residents of Daraa have remained in their homes. Men were forbidden from leaving their homes, but women were allowed to leave to search for bread. News about the crackdown is transmitted from one house to the next through windows.

It is difficult to determine precisely how many people have been killed at this time as the government has limited the number of foreign journalists to only a few foreign journalists and has restricted them.  Families have been unable to retrieve bodies from the streets and have put the bodies in a temporary morgue, according to human rights groups.   Since the conflict began in mid-March, it is estimated that 535 people have died.

To address the worsening situation in Syria, the United Nations Human Rights Council met and approved a resolution, requesting that the UN high commissioner for human rights investigate the human rights abuses in Syria on April 29. This special session was requested by sixteen members of the Human Rights Council, including the United States, Mexico, South Korea, Zambia and Senegal.  Seven members abstained from the vote, which passed twenty-six to nine.  Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain and Angola did not attend the session.

This incident came only a day after nearly sixty-five people were killed, most of them in Daraa, where several teenagers put anti-government graffiti on a wall, inciting a violence uprising.  The efforts of military forces to end the uprising have become increasingly brutal.  The government’s actions have been condemned by the international community.  Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron has described the crackdown as “completely disgraceful and unacceptable”.

For more information please see:
Sydney Morning Herald – Syrian Soldiers Storm City Mosque – 02 May 2011

The Guardian – Syrian Regime’s Shells Pound Deraa’s Roman Quarter – 01 May 2011

Human Rights Watch – UN: Syria Should Heed Call to End Violence – April 30, 2011

Washington Post – Syrian Troops Overwhelm Protest Town – 30 April 2011

By Eileen Gould
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

DAMASCUS, Syria – Syrians protested in cities and towns across Syria to stage a “Day of Rage” in opposition to the government’s crackdown on the opposition.  The United States imposed sanctions on officials responsible for human rights violations in Syria.  The new sanctions in the executive order signed by President Obama on Friday builds on the sanctions that were imposed on Syria beginning in 2004 and calls on the United Nations human rights officials to investigate Syria for violations of international law.

The order named Maher al-Assad, brother of President Bashar al-Assad and an army commander, as one of the parties responsible for the incidents in Daraa.  It also named Assad’s cousin, Atif Najib, who was the head of the Political Security Directorate for Daraa in March, when a large number of protesters were killed by security forces.

Another party named in the sanctions order is the Iranian Quds Force, as being involved in providing “material support to the Syrian government related to cracking down on unrest in Syria”.

According to human rights groups, at least twelve people were killed as security forces fired on protesters in two cities – Latakia, and Homs.  In Daraa, a southern town, shots fired on protesters allegedly caused some casualties.  The protesters gathered in the streets after leaving noontime prayer at the mosques.

In Homs, the protesters were shouting “leave, leave” to President Assad.  The protests began in March as a democratic movement but have recently turned into more of a rebellion.

In response to demonstrations that occurred a week ago, Syria sent tanks into Daraa.  Water, electricity and communications have been cut off there.  According to human rights groups, at least thirty-eight individuals have died, although that number may in fact be much higher.  On the other hand, state television reported that four army soldiers have been killed.  The government has depicted the demonstrations as a rebellion by armed Islamist extremists.

The UN Human Rights Council approved the United States’ statement condemning the violence in Syria.  China, Russia, and several African countries voted against this statement primarily because these nations oppose taking action similar to that which was done in Libya with Muammar Qaddafi.

For more information please see:
Christian Science Monitor – UN Council Issues Tepid Rebuke of Syria – 29 April 2011

Reuters – White House Calls on Syria Leader to Change Course – 29 April 2011

Washington Post – Syrian Troops Open Fire on Protesters; U.S. Imposes Sanctions – 29 April 29, 2011

 

 

 

Open Statement on the Situation in Syria

www.globalr2p.org

26 April, 2011

The Syrian government must immediately cease attacks on unarmed civilians protesting peacefully. The government’s response to protests that began in mid-March has become increasingly violent with security forces carrying out a deadly crackdown in response to the 22 April “Great Friday” demonstrations. Hundreds are dead and thousands wounded with many more arbitrarily arrested, tortured and disappeared, acts which may rise to the level of crimes against humanity, one of the four crimes that states committed themselves to protect populations from in adopting the responsibility to protect in 2005. Pursuant to this commitment, the Syrian government bears the primary responsibility to halt and avert the commission of atrocities, an obligation that it is currently failing to fulfill.

The situation is deteriorating and the risk of further atrocities is significant. Over 350 individuals have allegedly been killed since the protests began, at least 120 since Friday alone. The security forces have shown no restraint, using live fire ammunition against unarmed protesters. In the southern city of Deraa they are relying on tanks and other heavy weaponry to respond to demonstrations. Reports have emerged from that city of the shelling of residential neighborhoods and the use of snipers targeting those trying to assist the wounded. Foreign reporters have been banned from entering the country and there are reports that telephone service has been cut in certain cities making it difficult to get information out and leading to fears about what the government plans to do hidden from the attention of the world.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and other government officials have argued that the unrest is being instigated by “armed groups.” By characterizing unarmed civilians, including children, the elderly, medical professionals seeking to reach the wounded and those participating in funeral processions, as armed militants the threat of atrocities is dramatically heightened. In addition, recent statements have blamed a “conspiracy” of “Salafists,” adherents to the Salafi sect of Islam, for the protests and resulting violence, which suggests an attempt to stoke sectarian division and to portray the protesters as violent extremists. The government’s history of silencing opposition raises serious concerns that the regime is willing to do whatever is necessary to retain power.

On 21 April President Assad lifted the emergency law – in place since 1963 – that suspended constitutional protections including banning free assembly and granting the state expanded powers to arrest and detain individuals. While this is a positive step the fact that it was immediately replaced with a law requiring government permission for demonstrations calls into question the Assad government’s sincere commitment to reform. Since the lifting of the law protesters, opposition figures and activists continue to be targeted, arrested or disappeared. The United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights has referred to the conduct of the government as “paper reforms followed by violent crackdowns on protesters.”

Key figures within Syria, including several members of parliament representing the city of Deraa, have recognized that violence is not an acceptable response to peaceful protests and have resigned in protest against the government’s actions. The government must uphold its responsibility to protect and ensure that security forces stop targeting unarmed civilians and act in accordance with their obligations under international law. There must also be, as Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon demanded on 22 April, “an independent, transparent and effective investigation into the killings” with those responsible held accountable.

UN member states must speak with one voice in condemning the violence and calling on the Syrian government to halt attacks on civilians. The UN Security Council must, in their 26 April meeting, address the situation and consider the imposition of targeted economic sanctions and travel bans on those individuals known to be inciting, ordering or perpetrating atrocities against civilians. The European Union should similarly enact such sanctions. The UN Human Rights Council, which Syria seeks to join, should hold an emergency session to discuss the situation and issue a strong statement making clear that such violence is unacceptable. Regional actors must add their calls for restraint.

The risks to civilians are clear. It is crucial that, in keeping with the responsibility to protect, UN member states use all available leverage to encourage the Syrian government to end the violent crackdown. Action today will save lives, prevent the situation from spinning out of control, and send a clear message to others contemplating a similar response to peaceful protests.