War crimes in Syria are widespread, and Assad regime forces and ISIS militants continue to commit crimes against humanity in the face of inaction by the international community, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry said in its latest report.
The commission’s chairman, Paulo Pinheiro, told reporters at UN headquarters on Monday that the commission has information about human losses as a result of airstrikes on rebel-held areas, especially on Aleppo and Idlib.
Pinheiro said that the commission is certain that airstrikes are targeting civilians in Syria, adding that only regime forces and their allies have the means to conduct such attacks.
“Flagrant violations of human rights and international humanitarian law continue unabated, aggravated by blatant impunity. The stipulations of relevant Security Council resolutions … remain largely unheeded and unimplemented. War crimes are rampant,” the report said.
The report also said that Russian-Syrian aerial bombardments had caused the displacement of tens of thousands of men, women and children.
The commission urged the 15-nation Security Council to refer the conflict in Syria to the International Criminal Court in The Hague or to establish an ad hoc war crimes tribunal to ensure justice.
The targeting of hospitals and medical personnel remain “an ingrained feature of the Syrian conflict,” the investigators said.
According to the report, government forces targeted hospitals and medical clinics in areas not under their control, including in Aleppo where fewer than 10 of the 33 hospitals that were open in 2010 are still functioning.
The new report came as US officials said the US and Russia had agreed on a new “cessation of hostilities” in Syria that will take effect on Saturday. (Source: Agencies)
