Daily Newsletter – 27/02/2014

Syrian Coalition: International Community’s Inaction towards Assad’s Crimes Encourages His Defiance

Haitham al-Maleh, head of the legal committee, calls on the international community to move quickly to stand against the killing machine and the horrific violations committed by the Assad regime and the terrorist militias of Hezbollah in the town of Utaiba in Eastern Ghouta. “We thought that Hezbollah would retaliate to the Israeli occupation’s air raids. However, Hezbollah retaliated in the regime-held Utaiba in Eastern Ghouta.” Maleh also said that “the world must not…Read more

Jarba: Hezbollah’s Smuggling of Weapons Is Aimed At Terrorizing the Lebanese People
Ahmad Jarba, head of the Syrian Coalition, said that Hezbollah has been smuggling weapons from Syria to Lebanon to terrorize the Lebanese people and not for…Read more

Today Marks the Third Anniversary of the Syrian Revolution
Today, February 27, marks the third anniversary of the arrest of 18 children in Dara’a, who were later tortured in detention centers of the Assad regime. Syrian still recall this history well, when the head of the Political Security branch in Dara’a, Atef Najib, put children in prisons though they were underage. He also humiliated and insulted the parents of the boys without any consideration of the inherited social and cultural traditions of the Syrian society in general and in Dara’a in particular. These children had the courage to express the demands of the Syrian people in freedom and dignity and to demand the downfall of the Assad regime. They scrawled anti-regime graffiti on the walls of their school. The boys are: 1. Muawiya Faisal Sayasneh 2. Adnan Yousef Sowaidan 3. Samer Ali Sayasneh 4. Ahmed Jihad Abazeed 5. Issa Hassan Abu Qayyas 6. Alaa Mansour Irshaidat Abazeed 7. Mustafa Anwar Abazeed 8.Nidal Anwar Abazeed 9. Akram Anwar Abazeed 10. Bashir Farouk Abazeed 11. Nayef Mowaffak Abazeed 12. Ahmed Thani Rashidat Abazeed 13. Ahmad Shukri Akrad 14. Naif Abdulrahman Reshedat 15. Ayman Mohammed Munawar Alkrad 16. Ahmed Nayef Abazeed 17. Nabil Imad Abazeed 18. Muhammad Amin Yasin Abazeed. The child No. 12, Ahmed Thani Rashidat Abazeed, was imprisoned for around six months by the Assad regime. (Source: Syrian Coalition)

Has Swine Flu Been Verified in Syria?
Reports have emerged recently about the spread of swine flu among the population of the city of Hama. Since the city is under the control of regime forces, ACU’s teams of early warning couldn’t verify these reports. However, ACU contacted some doctors in Hama who have confirmed the presence of some severe cases of pneumonia, a few of which resulted in death. However, most of the deaths occurred to people with pre-existing medical conditions. It is important to note that a reliable diagnosis of swine flu needs cultivation of viruses, a process which is not currently available in Hama. (Source: Syrian Coalition)

Regime Forces Drop barrel Bombs on Daraya and Khan Shaikhoun
Assad’s air force launched barrel bombs attacks on Daraya near Damascus and on Khan al-Sheeh in Rural Damascus, injuring a number of civilians. Regime forces also conducted aerial shelling on the town of Yabroud, Rankous and Hafeer al-Fouka, causing civilian casualties and material damage. (Source: Syrian Coalition + LCC)

Regime shelling on Al Waer in Homs Kills Three Children
Regime forces shelled the neighborhood of Al Waer in Homs with mortar rounds, killing three children and injuring around 30 civilian. Regime forces also conducted artillery shelling on the besieged districts of Homs and on the towns of Talbesah, Al Ghanto and Addar al-Kabeera north of Homs, causing civilian casualties and material damage. (Source: Syrian Coalition + LCC)

Car Bomb Kills 15 Civilians in Sinjar in Rural Idlib
A car bomb exploded in the town of Sinjar in rural Idlib, killing 15 civilians and wounding dozens, mostly women. Activists said that the explosion occurred in a cloth market and that some of the victims are still under the rubble. In the meantime, regime forces shelled the town of Areeha with heavy machine guns, injuring a number of civilians. (Source: Syrian Coalition + LCC)

Assad’s Air Force Carries On Aerial Shelling On Aleppo
Regime forces launched barrel bomb attacks on the neighborhoods of Masaken Hanano and Bab al-Nairab in eastern Aleppo, killing three civilians, including a child. Activists reported ongoing clashes between the Free Syrian Army and regime forces in Sheikh Najjar, while Assad’s warplanes launched air strikes on the village of Abtin in rural Aleppo, causing civilian casualties and material damage. (Source: Syrian Coalition + LCC)

• Kerry: Russia’s support for Assad impedes peace talks.
• Japan donates $13.67 million USD for the destruction of chemical weapons.
• Germany establishes a fund for humanitarian projects in Syria.