Press release
Syrian Opposition Coalition – Syria
Department of Media and Communications
July 13, 2020
The horrific massacre committed by the Assad regime forces and their allied sectarian militias in the town of Tremsa in western rural Hama in 2012 had a big impact on the course of the revolution, along with the others massacres that preceded and followed it, such as the massacre of the Asheerah neighborhood in Homs, the massacres that took place in Houla, Deir Ezzor, Zamalka, Daraya, Muadamiya and Kafarbatna.
The Tremsa Massacre took place on July 12, 2012. Its details began to unfold this day of that year. It was committed right under the eyes of the UN observers who were just a stone’s throw from the site of the massacre.
The massacre started with artillery shelling after which regime forces stormed the town and carried out summary executions and mass slaughter.
The massacre claimed the lives of dozens of people, including women and children, many of whom were documented by full names in the absence of any international investigation.
The massacre targeted the Syrian social fabric as it was aimed at dividing the Syrian society in the context of a criminal policy that employed the dirtiest methods, including through the sowing of discord among the Syrian people.
Although most major states expressed their shock at the massacre, no action was taken. No steps have been taken to ensure that criminals are held accountable or even prevent a recurrence of these atrocities.
That campaign of massacres and crimes continued and escalated in various forms and by various means, culminating in the use of barrel bombs, ballistic missiles, and chemical weapons without the criminals and those responsible for them receiving any punishment.
It is the duty of all international actors to raise these massacres when dealing with the situation in Syria and to shoulder their responsibilities with regards to redressing the victims.
The Syrian Opposition Coalition’s legal committee, several independent Syrian bodies, and international human rights organizations continue to follow up the issue of crimes being committed against the Syrian people. It is imperative that they work to collect as many testimonies and documents as possible and to prosecute criminals in order to achieve justice and work to exert all possible pressure in order to transfer this issue to the International Criminal Court as soon as possible.
The Syrian Opposition Coalition calls on the international community to assume its responsibilities with regards to the massacres and the overall situation in Syria. All parties must do what should be done to enforce international resolutions and achieve a political solution based on the Geneva Communique of 2012.
