The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) said that the International Commission of Inquiry and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights are responsible for identifying perpetrators of attacks on healthcare facilities in Syria. It called on the United Nations to also identify the centers targeted in several areas across Syria.
In a report issued on Thursday, the Network said that the Assad regime and Russian forces are intentionally targeting vital facilities with the aim of inflicting as much as possible of pain on Syrian civilians.
“The international community’s lukewarm response to such criminal acts, which constitute war crimes, is encouraging the Assad regime and Russia to commit them routinely,” the report said.
The monitoring group said it recorded no fewer than 17 attacks on facilities included in the humanitarian deconfliction mechanism from September 2014 to July 12, 2019. It pointed out that of these, nine attacks took place as part of the ongoing bombing campaign on the Idlib ‘de-escalation zone’ between April 26 and July 12, 2019.
The report called on the UN International Independent Investigation Commission to clearly identify perpetrators of violations, especially attacks by the Russian forces.
The report appealed to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to unequivocally condem the targeting of medical centers and identify the perpetrators and not follow in the footsteps of the “politicized” UN Security Council.
The Network called on the UN Security Council to reassess the gravity of human rights violations and the extent of their threat to regional and international security and peace. It also called for resorting to Chapter VII of the UN Charter to protect humanitarian facilities and workers in Syria.
The monitoring group urged against considering the Assad regime an official party in view of the “crimes against humanity” it is committing. It also called for stopping the provision the regime with the bulk of the financial and relief aid, which often does not reach its beneficiaries but end up at the hands of Assad’s loyalists. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
