War crimes in the Syrian civil war

Human toll of the Syrian civil war
Pre-war population 22 ±.5; Internally displaced 6 ±.5, Refugees 5.5 ±.5, Fatalities 0.5 ±.1 (millions)[citation needed]
Syrian refugees
By countryEgypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey
SettlementsCamps: Jordan
Internally displaced Syrians
Casualties of the war
CrimesWar crimes, massacres, rape
Return of refugees, Refugees as weapons, Prosecution of war criminals

War crimes in the Syrian civil war have been numerous and serious. A United Nations report published in August 2014 stated that "the conduct of the warring parties in the Syrian Arab Republic has caused civilians immeasurable suffering".[1] Another UN report released in 2015 stated that the war has been "characterized by a complete lack of adherence to the norms of international law" and that "civilians have borne the brunt of the suffering inflicted by the warring parties".[2] Various countries have prosecuted several war criminals for a limited number of atrocities committed during the Syrian civil war.

Wounded civilians arrive at a hospital in Aleppo during the Syrian civil war, October 2012
Victims of chemical weapon attack on civilians in Ghouta, an opposition held area.

The casualties of the Syrian Civil War have been great; UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura stated in April 2016 that 400,000 people had died in the conflict.[3] In December 2016, 450,000 Syrians were estimated to have been killed; 4.8 million Syrians fled Syria (becoming refugees), 6.3 million were internally displaced within Syria, and 13.5 million required humanitarian assistance.[4] The war has been marked by "devastation and extreme suffering among civilians"[4] and international aid groups "have long denounced the indiscriminate brutality" that has characterized the conflict.[5] In March 2017, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 465,000 people had died in the conflict, of which 96,000 civilians, and an additional 145,000 civilians were missing.[6][7] The SOHR attributed 83,500 civilian deaths to the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and its allies, including Russia; 7,000 to Syrian rebels and allied forces; 3,700 to Islamic State (IS) organization; 920 to the U.S.-led coalition; and 500 to Turkey.[6][7]

According to various human rights organizations and the United Nations, human rights violations have been committed by both the government and the rebels,[8] with the "vast majority of the abuses having been committed by the Syrian government".[9][10][11][12] The U.N. commission investigating human rights abuses in Syria confirms at least nine intentional mass killings in the period 2012 to mid-July 2013, identifying the perpetrator as the Syrian government and its supporters in eight cases, and the opposition in one.[13][14] The United Nations conducted several further studies. The Assad government used chemical weapons (chlorine gas) against civilians and conducted torture and extrajudicial killings. Assad carried out "indiscriminate and disproportionate aerial bombardment and shelling" which "led to mass civilian casualties and spread terror."[1] Brutal repression, human rights abuses, war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Assad government throughout the course of the conflict led to international condemnation and widespread calls to convict Bashar al-Assad in the International Criminal Court (ICC).[a]

War crimes committed by rebel groups include recruiting child soldiers, shelling civilian-populated areas, kidnapping, and murdering members of religious minorities.[8] In May 2013, UN commission of inquiry investigator Carla Del Ponte said there were "strong concrete suspicions but not yet incontrovertible proof" that rebels had used the nerve agent sarin.[20] The following day, in an apparent reaction to Del Ponte's comments, the commission issued a press release clarifying that it "has not reached conclusive findings as to the use of chemical weapons in Syria by any parties in the conflict".[20]

Civilian casualties from airstrikes by the US-led coalition fighting IS are considerable; the Syrian Network for Human Rights reported 2,286 civilian deaths since the beginning of the campaign until September 2017, raising concerns that the coalition failed to take necessary precautions to minimize civilian casualties. Unlawful attacks against civilians and civilian structures in Syria have also been made by the Syrian-Russian coalition forces and other parties, in particular the Russian–Syrian hospital bombing campaign, as well as attacks on schools and mosques.[21] According to Amnesty International's 2017/8 report on Syria, "Parties to the armed conflict committed war crimes and other grave violations of international humanitarian law and human rights abuses with impunity."[22]

  1. ^ a b "UN report on the humanitarian situation in Syria" (PDF). The UN. 13 August 2014.
  2. ^ Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic (PDF). United Nations. General Assembly. Human Rights Council. 5 February 2015. p. 1. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  3. ^ Syria envoy claims 400,000 have died in Syria conflict Archived 11 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine, United Nations Radio (22 April 2016).
  4. ^ a b Jessica Durando, Nearly half a million killed, and Syria civil war isn't over Archived 11 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine, USA Today (13 December 2016).
  5. ^ Rick Gladsone & Somini Sengupta, Unrelenting Assault on Aleppo Is Called Worst Yet in Syria's Civil War Archived 18 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine, New York Times (26 September 2016).
  6. ^ a b Jack Moore, Syria War Death Toll Hits 321,000 With Further 145,000 Missing: Monitor Archived 11 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Newsweek (13 March 2017).
  7. ^ a b Syrian war monitor says 465,000 killed in six years of fighting Archived 23 June 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Reuters (13 March 2017).
  8. ^ a b "How all sides are committing war crimes in Syria". Washington Post. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  9. ^ "UN must refer Syria war crimes to ICC: Amnesty". GlobalPost. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  10. ^ "Top Syrian general defects, says morale among forces at a low". CNN.com. 16 March 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  11. ^ "A report into the credibility of certain evidence with regard to torture and execution of persons incarcerated by the current Syrian regime | World news | theguardian.com". theguardian.com. Archived from the original on 10 September 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  12. ^ "syria war crimes". Aa.com.tr. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  13. ^ Heilprin, John (11 September 2013). "Syria Massacres: UN Probe Finds 8 Were Perpetrated By Syria Regime, 1 By Rebels". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 25 January 2014.
  14. ^ "CBS News article". CBS News. 11 September 2013.
  15. ^ Robertson QC, Geoffrey (2013). "11: Justice in Demand". Crimes Against Humanity: The Struggle for Global Justice (4th ed.). 38 Greene Street, New York, NY 10013, USA: The New Press. pp. 560–562, 573, 595–607. ISBN 978-1-59558-860-9.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  16. ^ Syria Freedom Support Act; Holocaust Insurance Accountability Act of 2011. Washington DC, USA: Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives. 2012. pp. 221–229.
  17. ^ Vohra, Anchal (16 October 2020). "Assad's Horrible War Crimes Are Finally Coming to Light Under Oath". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 2 November 2020.
  18. ^ "German court finds Assad regime official guilty of crimes against humanity". Daily Sabah. 13 January 2022. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022.
  19. ^ Martina Nosakhare, Whitney (15 March 2022). "Some Hope in the Struggle for Justice in Syria: European Courts Offer Survivors a Path Toward Accountability". Human Rights Watch. Archived from the original on 5 April 2022.
  20. ^ a b McDonnell, Patrick J. (6 May 2013). "U.N.'s Carla del Ponte say Syrian Rebels May Have Used Sarin" Archived 15 May 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Los Angeles Times.
  21. ^ "Syria: Events of 2017". Human Rights Watch. 2 January 2018. Archived from the original on 22 December 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  22. ^ "Syria 2017/2018". Amnesty International. Archived from the original on 23 December 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2018.


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