UN Human Rights spokesperson on Syria confirmed the deaths of 111 Syrian civilians in recent mass killings, in a Geneva press briefing on Tuesday. The spokesperson remarked that the true number is believed to be “significantly higher.”
UN Human Rights spokesperson on Syria confirmed the deaths of 111 Syrian civilians in recent mass killings, in a Geneva press briefing on Tuesday. The spokesperson remarked that the true number is believed to be “significantly higher.”
UN spokesperson on Syria, Thameen Al Kheetan said that the office is currently working on verifying and documenting civilian deaths, adding that:
Many of the cases documented were of summary executions. They appear to have been carried out on a sectarian basis, in Tartus, Latakia and Hama governorates – reportedly by unidentified armed individuals, members of armed groups allegedly supporting the caretaker authorities’ security forces, and by elements associated with the former government.
Al Kheetan noted that entire families “including women and children” have been subject to attacks. The UN’s investigation revealed accounts of raiders “asking residents whether they were Alawite or Sunni before proceeding to either kill or spare them.” There are also reports of attacks on several hospitals in the regions, resulting in causalities and damage to facilities.
Violence against civilians is prohibited under the Geneva Conventions of 1949. Attacks against individuals on the basis of their religious beliefs and affiliations may also amount to a genocidal act under the Genocide Convention and a war crime under the Rome Statute.
Al Kheetan also warned that hate speech and widespread misinformation may further polarize the country and intensify the conflict.