A Syrian Coalition official said that Russia is repeating in Syria the forced migration and genocide it committed against the Circassians in the North Caucasus back in 1864.
On the occasion of the “Circassian Day of Mourning”, which falls on May 21, member of the Syrian Coalition and former Vice-president Salwa Aksoy on Monday said that Russia is responsible for the mass murder and forced migration of more than two million Circassians. She said that Russia is repeating the same crime in Syria following its aggression on the country.
Aksoy said that the mass forced displacement taking place in different parts of Syria is a repeat of these operations. She added that the international community has a responsibility today to stop these terrorist practices against the Syrian people, stressing the right of all civilians to return to their homes and areas of origin.
Aksoy also called upon the United Nations to activate the international neutral mechanism to hold war criminals accountable and to prevent any further mass forced displacement.
In a report released on Sunday, the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) said that the Russian forces have killed no fewer than 6,133 Syrian civilians, including 1,761 children and 661 women since the start of its direct military intervention in Syria in September 2015.
The Network said that it had recorded at least 939 attacks on vital civilian centers in Syria by the Russian forces, including 169 attacks on schools, 167 on medical facilities, 140 on mosques, and 55 attacks on public markets. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)