The Syrian Civil Peace Council of the Syrian Coalition welcomes evacuations efforts in Muadamiyah to remove people from this area. However, these “moves to dodge and exploit the noble efforts of humanitarian organizations turning citizens into internal refugees and further increases the military’s grip on the area.” This became clear, “when children were detained in schools under regime security forces’ control, where children were tortured with hopes of getting information from them about the Free Syrian Army in the area.” The Council regretted “the regime forces’ diversion of the humanitarian mission from its legal and humanitarian course, considering it unethical and contrary to the principles of the law.” The Syrian Civil Peace Council confirmed that “the organizations’ mission should not be limited to getting civilians out of their towns, cities, and homes because this doesn’t address the core of the problem plaguing the area.” The Council demands “for the sake of the unity of the Syrian social fabric and the prevention of pushing people to imbalanced behavior that the siege is lifted and humanitarian corridors are opened to deal with the humanitarian crisis in Muadamiyah and the Ghoutas of Damascus. This should happen in a legal and logical manner consistent with the principles of humanitarian organizations.” (Source: Syrian Coalition)
Regime Forces Use Human Shields and Kill Members of the Mediation Committee The Syrian Coalition launches an urgent appeal to the United Nations and its affiliated organizations, the Arab League, and human rights organizations to act immediately to save civilians in western Ghouta, rural Damascus. Humanitarian corridors are urgently needed to save the lives of men, women and children in Muadamiyah, which has been under siege by Assad’s forces for more than 330 days. The Syrian Coalition added that Assad forces “took unarmed civilians as hostages after promising safety to the mediation committee overseeing the evacuation process. According to a Syrian National Coalition statement, regime forces “targeted the area with shelling which killed three people and injured others. Then other civilians were used as human shields to prevent the Free Syrian Army from defending the city.” The Assad regime has infringed every international norm and convention during the past two and a half years. It has arrested, tortured, and killed peaceful protesters. It has carried out heinous massacres across Syria, targeting field hospitals and holy places of worship. Assad’s forces have raped, massacred, burned, and displaced civilians and starved innocent children to death. At the end of the its statement, the Syrian National Coalition demanded that the international community hold the Assad regime be held accountable and prosecuted for using civilians as human shields after giving them guarantees of safety. The Coalition considers this a clear violation of the principles of international humanitarian law and that what occurred are war crimes against humanity. (Source: Syrian Coalition)
