The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) said that no fewer than 855 medical workers have been killed in Syria since 2011, including 699 who were killed at the hands of the Assad regime forces.
In a report on the challenges facing medical workers in Syria released on Friday, the Network said that at least 83 medical workers have been killed under torture in the prisons of the Assad regime since 2011. It added that the Assad regime has detained 3,327 medical workers since March 2011.
The report, which detailed material and human losses the medical sector has suffered since the start of the conflict, indicated that the Russian forces are responsible for the death of 68 medical workers. It pointed out that 40 others were killed by ISIS, while 30 others were killed by unidentified militant groups. The victims included eight others who were killed by the PYD militia, one of whom died under torture. Bombardment by the international anti-ISIS coalition forces killed 13 others, while Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham killed six. Around 21 medical workers were killed by other parties to the conflict.
The monitoring group said that it recorded at least 860 attacks on medical facilities in Syria from March 2011 to May 1, 2020, 87 percent of which were committed by the Assad regime and Russian forces.
The report indicated that the Assad regime and Russian forces were responsible for more than 90 percent of the violations against medical sector in Syria. The Network pointed out that it recorded well over 95 attacks on around 73 medical facilities in Idlib province from April 26, 2019 to May 1, 2020.
The Network warned that approximately 147,000 detainees, including 129,000 in the custody of the Assad regime, are at risk of contracting the coronavirus.
The report called on the UN Security Council to take all possible measures, from the imposition of sanctions to the threat of the use of military force, in order ensure access for international organizations to the Assad regime’s detention centers and force the regime to disclose the fate of tens of thousands of detainees in its custody, especially medical workers. (Source: SOC’s Media Department)
