ICTJ: International Justice Day Reminds Us: Without Accountability There is No Dignity
During Mr. Annan’s plan on April 10th to July 10th 2012, more than 1,170 citizens, including 108 children, have been killed in Homs either in the increasing indiscriminate shelling or in the massacres that increased during Mr. Annan’s plan, which defies the purpose of the plan.
Violence escalated significantly in both rural Homs and the city of Homs including Al-Houlah, Rastan, Al-Quseir, Deir Balaba, Al-Qaryatein, Qalaat Al-Hisn, Al-Khaldya, Jouret al-Shyah, Ash-Shammas, Joubar and Al-Sultanya.
All these neighborhoods,towns, and cities witnessed raids, rockets shelling, warplanes bombardment, extra judicial and summary executions, and horrible inhumane massacres in the presence of the UN monitors.
The following is a summary that shows the systematic suppression and violence used by Assad’s regime against Syrian citizens.
Rastan massacre: 11 April 2012
Eleven civilians from two families were killed when their homes were targeted with phosphorus and chemical shells burning the bodies completely making it impossible to identify them.
**WARNING: VIDEO BELOW CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES**
Al-Bayada neighborhood massacre: 12 April 2012
9 victims, including 2 little girls, were killed due to indiscriminate shelling and barrages of gunfire on the neighborhood.
Ash-Shammas neighborhood massacre: 15 May 2012 and 6 June 2012
The killing of fourteen citizens was documented and verified after the raid of the neighborhood by Assad’s regime security forces, army troops and pro-regime shabeeha militias who perpetrated systematic terrorism. They arrested scores of young men, gathered them in a public neighborhood, humiliated and tortured them, and then extra judicially executed some, including Marea Zaqreet, the Imam of the neighborhood’s mosque. This neighborhood hosted displaced people from the neighborhoods of Baba Amr and Joubar.
**WARNING: VIDEO BELOW CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES**
Al-Houla massacre: Night of 26 May 2012
The most horrible and most bloody massacre in the history of the Syrian revolution in Homs; 109 victims most of whom are children and women were killed in a systematic attack by pro-regime shabeeha militias who came from pro-regime villages neighboring Al-Houla. Assad’s regime army supported and covered those barbaric militias in their perpetration of this massacre.
**WARNING: VIDEO BELOW CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES**
Al-Bwaida massacre/fertilizer factory workers massacre: 31 May 2012
Twelve civilians, fertilizer factory workers, were abducted and lead to a nearby farm. Then they had were humiliated, tortured, extra judicially executed with gunfire, and disfigured by Assad’s forces.
**WARNING: VIDEO BELOW CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES**
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dk6Unjzha5s&feature=youtu.be&has_verified=1&bpctr=1342647935&skipcontrinter=1&w=480&h=400
Talbiseh massacre: 10 June 2012
Assad’s forces carried out continual indiscriminate shelling for many days killing many citizens and wounding scores of others. On this day, ten people were killed in indiscriminate shelling and helicopter bombardment on the city.
Second Rastan massacre: 13 June 2012
More than fourteen citizens, including children, were killed in indiscriminate shelling, including helicopter bombardment, on Rastan.
The Rastan Second Massacre, children and women were killed by helicopter bombardment.
**WARNING: VIDEO BELOW CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES**
Deir Balaba neighborhood massacre: 21 June 2012
The fierce shelling targeted the neighborhood concentrating on the neighborhood’s school, where it was known by the regime forces that displaced people had sought refuge. This school was targeted directly with 3 shells killing 17 citizens in a few minutes. The attack wounded many others at a time when there was a severe shortage of medical necessities and inability to provide any form of primary medical care. At the time, it was also made impossible to transport the wounded to dispensaries or hospitals.
Qalaat Al-Hisn massacre: 28 and 29 of June 2012
More than 22 victims were killed in 48 hours. Most of the victims were killed due to fierce shelling targeting the city. The victims included 6 members from a family, they were extra judicially executed by pro-regime shabeeha militias. In addition, 10 victims were killed due to shelling that targeted a bus that was transporting displaced people from Qalaat Al-Hisn.
Jouret Al-Shyah massacre: 1 July 2012
Fierce and continual shelling on Jouret Al-Shyah for more than a month lead to the collapse of many buildings and the killing of scores of scores of citizens; on 01 July 02012, Assad’s regime army shelled a building causing its collapse over the heads of people inside. Six people were killed, one of whom is still under the rubble.
All information and videos in the report provided by:
By Mark McMurray
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
JERUSALEM, Israel — On Monday, a group of forty Palestinians were allowed to see their relatives in Ramon prison in southern Israel. The visit marks the first time in five years Palestinians have been able to visit family members incarcerated in an Israeli prison.

Before sunrise, the group gathered outside the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza City. Joined by representatives of the organization, the group boarded a bus to the Erez border crossing with Israel. The Red Cross, which helped make the trip possible, expressed hope that Monday’s visit marks the beginning of regular trips to Israeli prisons. Juan Pedro Schaerer, head of the organization in Israel and the Palestinian territories, described the organization’s objective in a statement released on Monday.
“This is a first step and we hope that visits by residents of Gaza will resume in full,” he said. “We have repeatedly called for the resumption of family visits, which are a lifeline for detainees and their families. Under international humanitarian law, Israeli authorities have an obligation to allow the detainees to receive family visits.”
Twenty-four inmates met with family members on Monday. One visitor, Fatima Nashbat, described her emotions prior to seeing her husband for first time in almost six years.
“I haven’t seen my husband or heard his voice or even news of him for years,” she said. “I don’t know what the meeting will be like, but of course my excitement is indescribable and I can’t wait to see him.”
Sivan Weizman, spokesperson for Israel’s prison services, confirmed that prison visits are expected to begin on a regular basis. The next trip is scheduled to occur in two weeks. Weizman described Monday’s trip as having been completed “without incident.”
In May, Israel agreed to allow prison visits to resume in order to reach a deal to end a mass hunger strike by Palestinian detainees earlier in the year. Israel had put an end to family visits in 2007, in response to the militant Islamist group Hamas’ rise to power in Gaza.
For further information, please see:
Al Jazeera – Palestinians Visit Jailed Relatives in Israel – 16 July 2012
BBC News – First Gaza Families Visit Jailed Relatives in Israel – 16 July 2012
Mail & Guardian – Gaza allows Palestinian prisoners’ families to visit – 16 July 2012
YNet News – Gazans to Visit Palestinian Prisoners Held in Israel – 16 July 2012
Casualties and Wounded:
Homs | Al-Khaldiya
As the violent shelling by the Syrian army continues on the region of Homs, many victims have either died instantly or by inflicting wounds; just like the corpse in the following video whose corpse was charred after completely burning as a result of heavy bombardment:
**WARNING: VIDEO BELOW CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES**
Idlib | Al-Rami
The security checkpoints all across the towns and cities of Syria are carrying out daily arrests to civilians who are being subject to the harshest types of torture under the hands of Syrian security forces in prisons. Some of these civilians come out with torture marks across their bodies, others come out as a dead corpse just like Mousa and his son Tariq, whose corpses can be seen in the following video:
**WARNING: VIDEO BELOW CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES**
Assaults and Human Rights Violations:
Homs | Al-Rastan
As soon as the bombardment comes to a halt, the citizens of Al-Rastan begin to search for the wounded and the corpses of people from in between the rubble. This is mainly because ambulances and specialists are not able to enter city due to the siege imposed by the Syrian army forces. In the video below civilians search through a home shortly after it was shelled, finding the wounded and bodies:
**WARNING: VIDEO BELOW CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES**
Children along with their families are always suffering even in the shelters from the situation as outside from the lack of food, water and electricity; milk for infants is not available and the children are feeding on dry bread. In addition to all of this, the children have to go endure the pain each time they witness a friend has been killed.
Daraa | Daael
One of harshest sufferings which the civilians are going through in the towns and cities affected by bombardment and gunfire are in the field hospitals where the simple capabilities which they offer are sometimes not enough to cure a single wounded civilians:
Bombardment and Destruction:
Homs | Jourat Al-Shiyah
As we enter day 41 of the ongoing bombardment across the region of Homs by the Syrian army, who also imposed a complete blockade around Homs; the civilians are living the life of suffering through the sounds of bombardment, gunfire and living in-between the rubble of their homes made by bombardment. Many neighborhoods like, the Jourat Al-Shiyah neighborhood, are completely empty of people due to bombardment.
Hama | Al-Araba’ein
Tanks belonging to the Syrian army are indiscriminately shelling the homes and buildings in the neighborhood of Al-Araba’ein.
Damascus | Nahr Aeisha
The Syrian forces bombarded a number of neighborhoods inside the heart of Damascus today, including Nahr Aeisha, causing the people to flee their homes and leading to heavy smoke throughout the city.
Aleppo | Mari
Syrian forces also shelled the town of Mari’ using missiles which caused the destruction of civilians’ homes and caused heavy smoke to rise in the area.
All information and videos published in this report provided by: