A rights group said that the Assad regime and its Russian backer continued to target civilians in Idlib province despite the ceasefire agreements reached in the region.
In a report issued on Monday, the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) said that it had registered the names of 387 civilians, including 104 children and 62 women who were killed in attacks by the Assad regime and Russian forces in Idlib from January 12 to March 27, 2020.
The Network said that Assad’s forces had killed 174 civilians, including 40 children and 18 women, while the Russian forces had killed 213 civilians, including 64 children and 44 women.
The report indicated that the Assad regime and Russian forces committed a total of 77 massacres in Idlib province from April 26, 2019 to March 27, 2020, 48 of which were committed by the Assad regime and 29 by Russian forces. It pointed out that 15 massacres have taken place since the ceasefire agreement entered into force on January 12.
According to the report, the massacres claimed the lives of 647 civilians, including 224 children and 134 women. It noted that 56% of the victims are women and children, which is a very high percentage, indicating that the civilian population were intentionally targeted.
The report emphasized that the Assad regime and Russian forces violated the provisions of international humanitarian law, most notably those calling for distinguishing between civilians and combatants as well as between civilian and military targets. These forces also bombed hospitals, schools, and residential neighborhoods, which amounted to war crimes. It pointed out that the Assad regime did not respond to any of the demands of the International Investigation Committee, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and UN Security Council resolutions. (Source: SOC’s Media Department)
