The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) said that the Assad regime and Russia are responsible for the majority of the massacres that took place across Syria in 2018. It said that it recorded no fewer than 223 massacres in 2018.
In its annual report tracking violations in Syria, the Network said that the Assad regime and its Russian ally are responsible for at least 157 massacres or 70 percent of the massacres committed in 2018.
The international anti-ISIS coalition came second with 27 massacres it committed in the ISIS-held areas. Hardline militant groups committed eight massacres, while the PYD militia committed four, the report said.
According to the report, the massacres claimed the lives of more than 2,741 civilians, including 826 children and 565 women who comprised around 51 percent of the total number of victims.
Most of the massacres took place in the opposition-held areas, especially in eastern Ghouta. The Assad regime launched a brutal onslaught to recapture Damascus suburb in February and March of 2018, killing and maiming many civilians. The regime launched a similar attack on Dara’a province in July 2018.
The Network said that the international community is still unable to provide the necessary protection for civilians in Syria and to hold accountable those responsible for massacres. All calls and moves by human rights organizations on the UN Security Council to deter the Assad regime and its allies have so far been blocked by the Russian veto.
The Network called on the United Nations and the Security Council to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court. It also called for an end to the UN Security Council’s failure to implement its resolutions on Syria. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
