The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) said that it had recorded no fewer than 374 massacres that were committed by the Assad regime, Russia and the international anti-ISIS coalition forces during 2017.
In a report released on Friday, the Network said that 129 massacres were committed by regime forces, 83 by the Russian forces, and 113 by the international coalition forces.
According to the report, the province of Deir Ezzor ranked first in terms of the numbers of massacres the Network recorded in 2017, with 120 massacres committed in the eastern province. Of those, 46 massacres were committed by the Assad regime, while 42 massacres were committed by the Russian forces. As many as 105 massacre were committed in the province of Raqqa during the reporting period, including 87 by the international coalition forces and 10 massacres by the ISIS extremist group.
The report indicated that 18 massacres were committed in December of 2017 alone, 12 of which were committed by the Assad regime and Iranian-backed militias. The massacres claimed the lives of 183 people, including 72 civilians and 39 women.
The report listed 19 massacres that were committed by ISIS and four more by militias of the Democratic Union Party (PYD). It noted that 26 massacres were committed by groups the Network said it was unable to identify.
The rights group called on the United Nations and UN Security Council to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court and stop blocking the resolutions that the Council was supposed to pass against the Assad regime. It also called for urgent sanctions on all those involved in the massive human rights violations in Syria.
The Network called on Russian, as a guarantor of the ‘de-escalation zones’ agreement in Syria, to force the Assad regime to stop violations of the agreement. It noted that failing to do so would make the situation look more like an exchange of roles between Russia, Iran and Assad regime in the killing of Syrian civilians. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
