 |
LGBT
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride
MONSIEUR GILBERT BAKER
ARTIST, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST
IN 1978 DESIGNED THE RAINBOW FLAG
PRIDE FLAG, GAY PRIDE FLAG, LGBT PRIDE FLAG, QUEER FLAG
DRAPEAU ORIGINAL DE MONSIEUR GILBERT BAKER
(mais on a enlevé 2 bandes)
I am proud to present Rainbow Flags
hand sewn in the original 8 colors
with the same natural cotton fabric and natural dye used
when I made the first flag in 1978.
This year is the Rainbow Flag’s 35th anniversary
and to honor it
I created 35 individually unique signed and numbered flags
20 x 35 inches
on acid free linen board
$3,500 each
|
 |
| LE FOND EST LILAS COULEUR FIFILLE ATTENDRISSANTE QUI VA AVEC LES FÉES ET LES LICORNES ÇA VA AVEC LEURS YEUX DE MYOPES INTELLECTUELS ON LES DÉTESTE DÉJÀ ! |
EIN MOMENT DER HUMOR UND FANTASIE
MIT DELPHINEN FEEN UND EINHORNER
*
BARREL BOMB
BARREL BOMB
ALEPPO BARREL BOMBINGS
‘DEATH EVERYWHERE’ WAR CRIMES AND HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN
ALEPPO, SYRIA
Amnesty International Ltd
“IT BECAME ROUTINE FOR THE HELICOPTER TO BE THERE ABOVE US,
SO I FINALLY STOPPED LOOKING UP. I SMELLED DEATH EVERYWHERE.”
(…)
WHAT IS A BARREL
BOMB?
p. 19
Syrian barrel bombs are large improvised explosive devices
(IEDs), which are dropped from helicopters.
They consist of oil barrels, fuel tanks or gas cylinders that have been packed with explosives, fuel and metal fragments - such as ball bearings, nails and machine parts - to increase their lethal effect.
They cannot be accurately aimed at specific targets.
Since 2014, eyewitness accounts and reports from monitoring groups suggest that barrel bombs have been used to deliver chlorine gas, including in two attacks on Sermine and nearby Qmainass on 16 March 2015.
Their use has been widely condemned as unlawful, given their indiscriminate nature and wide-area effect when used over densely populated areas.
They consist of oil barrels, fuel tanks or gas cylinders that have been packed with explosives, fuel and metal fragments - such as ball bearings, nails and machine parts - to increase their lethal effect.
They cannot be accurately aimed at specific targets.
Since 2014, eyewitness accounts and reports from monitoring groups suggest that barrel bombs have been used to deliver chlorine gas, including in two attacks on Sermine and nearby Qmainass on 16 March 2015.
Their use has been widely condemned as unlawful, given their indiscriminate nature and wide-area effect when used over densely populated areas.
A MAN LOOKS DOWN AT AN UNEXPLODED BARREL BOMB DROPPED BY
FORCES LOYAL TO SYRIA'S PRESIDENT BASHAR AL-ASSAD AT A CEMETERY IN THE
AL-QATANAH NEIGHBOURHOOD OF ALEPPO. 27 MARCH 2014
According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, 12,194
people were killed in Syria from 2012 until February 2015 as a result of barrel
bomb attacks by government forces.
Only 473 of these people were fighters, meaning that 96% of this total were civilians.
More than half were killed after the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2139.
As of February 2015, of all governorates in Syria, Aleppo suffered the greatest number of victims from barrel bomb attacks.
According to the Violations Documentation Center, 3,124 civilians – and only 35 fighters – were killed in barrel bomb attacks from January 2014 to March 2015 in Aleppo governorate.
Local monitors told Amnesty International that the large number of civilian casualties is likely due to the fact that barrel bombs are so imprecise that the government rarely drops them near the front line, where they might hit their own forces.
Instead, barrel bombs have struck apartment buildings and populated areas such as public markets, transportation hubs and mosques.
Civilian objects such as hospitals are at particular risk of being damaged in barrel bomb attacks in Aleppo.
Barrel bombs have been used by government forces in at least 12 attacks that damaged hospitals and other medical facilities in Aleppo city between April and July 2014.
Due to these attacks, many hospitals in opposition-controlled areas have been forced to move underground. (…)
Only 473 of these people were fighters, meaning that 96% of this total were civilians.
More than half were killed after the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2139.
As of February 2015, of all governorates in Syria, Aleppo suffered the greatest number of victims from barrel bomb attacks.
According to the Violations Documentation Center, 3,124 civilians – and only 35 fighters – were killed in barrel bomb attacks from January 2014 to March 2015 in Aleppo governorate.
Local monitors told Amnesty International that the large number of civilian casualties is likely due to the fact that barrel bombs are so imprecise that the government rarely drops them near the front line, where they might hit their own forces.
Instead, barrel bombs have struck apartment buildings and populated areas such as public markets, transportation hubs and mosques.
Civilian objects such as hospitals are at particular risk of being damaged in barrel bomb attacks in Aleppo.
Barrel bombs have been used by government forces in at least 12 attacks that damaged hospitals and other medical facilities in Aleppo city between April and July 2014.
Due to these attacks, many hospitals in opposition-controlled areas have been forced to move underground. (…)
MEMBERS OF THE CIVIL
DEFENCE, A GROUP OF VOLUNTEER SEARCH AND RESCUE WORKERS FROM LOCAL COMMUNITIES
told Amnesty International that they believe the actual
number of victims from barrel bomb attacks could be even higher than the
estimates cited above, as this type of attack presents several challenges for
documentation.
First, victims of barrel bomb attacks are often found dismembered or are otherwise unidentifiable.
Second, bodies can be buried under the rubble for weeks or months after a strike.
Third, due to the limitations of both supplies and staff at hospitals in opposition-held areas, injured victims are taken to hospitals and medical centres throughout the city, making it difficult for monitors to track subsequent deaths.
Finally, monitors and media activists who arrive at the scene of the strike intending to document deaths and injuries are often compelled to participate in urgent rescue efforts instead.
First, victims of barrel bomb attacks are often found dismembered or are otherwise unidentifiable.
Second, bodies can be buried under the rubble for weeks or months after a strike.
Third, due to the limitations of both supplies and staff at hospitals in opposition-held areas, injured victims are taken to hospitals and medical centres throughout the city, making it difficult for monitors to track subsequent deaths.
Finally, monitors and media activists who arrive at the scene of the strike intending to document deaths and injuries are often compelled to participate in urgent rescue efforts instead.
CIVILIAN IMPRESSIONS OF BARREL BOMB ATTACKS
Of all the causes of civilian suffering, barrel bombs were
the primary concern of current and former residents of Aleppo city.
For this report, Amnesty International interviewed 39 individuals who had first-hand experience of barrel bomb attacks and their immediate aftermath.
Several of these witnesses told Amnesty about the intense fear generated by this kind of attack.
A 24-year-old woman explained,
“The barrel bombs are the most miserable weapons. If they explode we know our bodies will be in pieces… [Also] we can see them coming. There is a minute of waiting to die.”
A shopkeeper from Sukkari neighbourhood echoed this.
“After you see the barrel falling, you don’t know where to go,”
he said.
For this report, Amnesty International interviewed 39 individuals who had first-hand experience of barrel bomb attacks and their immediate aftermath.
Several of these witnesses told Amnesty about the intense fear generated by this kind of attack.
A 24-year-old woman explained,
“The barrel bombs are the most miserable weapons. If they explode we know our bodies will be in pieces… [Also] we can see them coming. There is a minute of waiting to die.”
A shopkeeper from Sukkari neighbourhood echoed this.
“After you see the barrel falling, you don’t know where to go,”
he said.
“Sometimes we accidentally run toward the barrels. You crash
into things while you are running, because you are looking up…
My brother dislocated a disc in his spine because he was always looking up to the sky.”
A 34-year-old teacher summarized the mentality of many in Aleppo: “We are always nervous, always worried, always looking to the sky.”
My brother dislocated a disc in his spine because he was always looking up to the sky.”
A 34-year-old teacher summarized the mentality of many in Aleppo: “We are always nervous, always worried, always looking to the sky.”
39 Aleppo residents expressed particular concern about “double-tap” strikes, in which a first barrel bomb strike is followed by a second, which usually occurs nearby up to 30 minutes after the first.
In these types of strikes, those who come to rescue the injured or document the event, such as members of the local Civil Defence force,
HUMAN RIGHTS MONITORS, OR THE MEDIA, ARE AT PARTICULAR RISK
OF BEING KILLED.
A 48-year-old man from Anadan, a northern suburb of Aleppo,
described to Amnesty International his experience of a “double-tap” strike near
his home on 14 June 2014.
“At noon, they started calling from the mosque for help. I ran to the site of the shelling, and then when I got there, 20 minutes later, I heard another sound. This was the second barrel – they wanted to kill even more of us.”
Eventually, he said, the Civil Defence team in his community learned to wait several minutes to begin their rescue missions after a barrel bomb attack, as so many of their members had been killed or injured in second strikes.
“At noon, they started calling from the mosque for help. I ran to the site of the shelling, and then when I got there, 20 minutes later, I heard another sound. This was the second barrel – they wanted to kill even more of us.”
Eventually, he said, the Civil Defence team in his community learned to wait several minutes to begin their rescue missions after a barrel bomb attack, as so many of their members had been killed or injured in second strikes.
THE EXPLOSIVE MATERIALS INSIDE THE BARREL OR CONTAINER CAN
CAUSE HORRIFIC INJURIES.
A 30-yearold factory worker described the aftermath of an
attack on al-Fardous neighbourhood in 2014:
“AFTER THE BOMBING, I SAW CHILDREN WITHOUT HEADS,
body parts everywhere. It was how I imagine hell to be.”
According to a surgeon from a hospital in al-Sakhour neighbourhood,
“BARREL BOMBS ARE THE MOST HORRIBLE AND HURTFUL WEAPON…
[We deal with] multi-trauma, so many amputations, intestines
out of the body, it’s too horrible.
We have seen incredible things.
We have not seen these types of injuries in any medical book.”
We have seen incredible things.
We have not seen these types of injuries in any medical book.”
BARREL BOMB ATTACKS AND THEIR EFFECTS
This report examines eight attacks involving the use of
barrel bombs since January 2014.
These cases are illustrative of the hundreds of barrel bomb attacks launched by government forces in that period.44 Amnesty International obtained testimony relating to five additional incidents involving barrel bombs that are not documented in this report due to limitations of space: an air strike on a residential building in Hellok neighbourhood on 27 May 2014, an air strike on a crowded market-place in Anadan on 14 June 2014, an air strike on Dar alShifa field hospital in Sha’ar neighbourhood on 9 July 2014, an air strike on the main square in Haydariya neighbourhood on 5 September 2014, and an air strike on a residential area between two mosques in al-Fardous neighbourhood on 19 September 2014.
These cases are illustrative of the hundreds of barrel bomb attacks launched by government forces in that period.44 Amnesty International obtained testimony relating to five additional incidents involving barrel bombs that are not documented in this report due to limitations of space: an air strike on a residential building in Hellok neighbourhood on 27 May 2014, an air strike on a crowded market-place in Anadan on 14 June 2014, an air strike on Dar alShifa field hospital in Sha’ar neighbourhood on 9 July 2014, an air strike on the main square in Haydariya neighbourhood on 5 September 2014, and an air strike on a residential area between two mosques in al-Fardous neighbourhood on 19 September 2014.
Al-Fardous neighbourhood, 20 April 2014
At around 5pm on 20 April 2014
GOVERNMENT FORCES LAUNCHED AN AIR ATTACK ON A BUSY
INTERSECTION IN AL-FARDOUS NEIGHBOURHOOD.
Two witnesses, as well as local and international monitoring
groups, told Amnesty
International that government forces used two barrel bombs in this attack.
Ahmed, a 25-year-old resident of al-Fardous who survived the attack, told Amnesty International that he heard a helicopter as well as the distinctive sound made by a barrel falling just before the attack. Ahmed reported that the first barrel was dropped on a major intersection in al-Fardous, and the second was dropped one minute later on an apartment building 50 metres away. He told Amnesty International:
International that government forces used two barrel bombs in this attack.
Ahmed, a 25-year-old resident of al-Fardous who survived the attack, told Amnesty International that he heard a helicopter as well as the distinctive sound made by a barrel falling just before the attack. Ahmed reported that the first barrel was dropped on a major intersection in al-Fardous, and the second was dropped one minute later on an apartment building 50 metres away. He told Amnesty International:
“IT WAS AROUND SUNSET, AND WE WERE SITTING NEAR THE TRAFFIC
LIGHT IN THE BIGGEST LOCAL MARKET WHEN THEY ATTACKED…
IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE FIRST ATTACK, THERE WAS ANOTHER STRIKE.
THE REGIME WANTED TO CAUSE THE BIGGEST NUMBER OF DEATHS, SO THEY USED TWO BARRELS…
IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE FIRST ATTACK, THERE WAS ANOTHER STRIKE.
THE REGIME WANTED TO CAUSE THE BIGGEST NUMBER OF DEATHS, SO THEY USED TWO BARRELS…
[After the strike] I SAW so much dust, WOMEN CRYING AND
SCREAMING FOR THEIR CHILDREN.
I SAW PIECES OF BODIES AND CARS BURNING WITH PEOPLE INSIDE.
Houses were burning too.
THERE WAS BLOOD EVERYWHERE ON THE GROUND.”
MUHAMMED BASBOUS, A MEDIA ACTIVIST FROM ALEPPO,
arrived at the intersection 10 minutes later. He described
what he saw:
“[THERE WERE] CIVILIAN CARS, SERVICES [PUBLIC TAXIS],
BICYCLES, PEOPLE, ALL BURNING.
There was a parking lot nearby, with around seven minibuses
that were destroyed…
THE SHRAPNEL AND TNT INSIDE OF THE BARREL BURNED ALL THE
CARS.
All the people I saw were injured or dead.
SOME PEOPLE WERE IN TWO PIECES.
They were no longer
people.”
The two witnesses told Amnesty International that in
addition to the many vehicles that were damaged, two buildings were destroyed
and five buildings were severely damaged.
Muhammed Basbous and his colleague documented the deaths of
35 civilians who were killed as a result of the attack. Other monitoring groups
identified at least 37 civilian fatalities.
According to Muhammed
Basbous, the nearest armed group base was nearly four kilometres away, on the
last street of al-Fardous neighbourhood, and there were no other military
objectives in the vicinity of the attack.
CONSIDERING THE LOCATION OF THIS STRIKE, AN INTERSECTION
CROWDED WITH CIVILIANS, THE APPARENT LACK OF MILITARY TARGETS IN THE VICINITY,
AND THE EXPLOSIVE NATURE OF THE WEAPONS USED,
THE ATTACK ON 20 APRIL IS LIKELY TO HAVE CONSTITUTED EITHER A DIRECT ATTACK AGAINST CIVILIANS AND CIVILIAN OBJECTS OR AT THE LEAST AN INDISCRIMINATE ATTACK.
THE ATTACK ON 20 APRIL IS LIKELY TO HAVE CONSTITUTED EITHER A DIRECT ATTACK AGAINST CIVILIANS AND CIVILIAN OBJECTS OR AT THE LEAST AN INDISCRIMINATE ATTACK.
Inzarat neighbourhood, 25 May 2014
Two witnesses told Amnesty International that government
forces dropped a barrel bomb near Sakan al-Shababi in Inzarat neighbourhood at
around 8pm on 25 May 2014.
THE ALEPPO CIVIL DEFENCE AND MEDIA SOURCES CONFIRMED THAT A
BARREL BOMB WAS USED IN THIS ATTACK.
One survivor, Musab Ibrahim, told Amnesty International:
“THREE HOURS BEFORE THE ATTACK, I SAW THE HELICOPTER, MAKING
ITS ROUNDS IN THE SKY.
That night, I was working in my shop. I didn’t know the
barrels would come that day. Then I heard it. I started running immediately,
but nobody knows where to run… My friend, and my younger brother, and I were
together in the shop. I jumped to protect my younger brother, and I covered him
completely. My friend then tried to cover me. My brother was unhurt from the explosion.
I HAD PIECES OF SHRAPNEL IN MY BODY FROM MY FINGERS TO MY
TOES.
MY FRIEND WAS KILLED IMMEDIATELY. HIS HEAD AND BACK WERE CUT
OPEN COMPLETELY FROM THE SHRAPNEL.”
Darwish Khalifa, whose home was destroyed in the attack,
described his experience:
“I had left the house to get dinner for my family. My family
and the whole neighbourhood was watching the Bab al-Hara series on TV. When I
returned 30 minutes after [the attack] there was no one left, nothing left.
There weren’t enough ambulances and cars to take the injured, so they were
using motorcycles as ambulances…
AT THAT TIME OF DAY, MOST OF THE MEN ARE OUTSIDE AND MOST OF
THE WOMEN ARE INSIDE. SO WHY DID THEY STRIKE THE BUILDINGS WHERE THE WOMEN
WERE?”
Both men fled Syria after the attack. Musab Ibrahim
described his situation now:
“I made it to Turkey. I am covered all over in burns, I have
a head injury, and I still have the shrapnel in my body. I can’t get it out, so
I can’t sleep. My leg has a lot of shrapnel in it, and it’s in my hand too.
THANK GOD FOR THE HOSPITALS IN SYRIA.
They received all the injured from this attack. But they had
too many people, so they didn’t have time to remove all the shrapnel… I lost my
shop. I lost my car too. I lost everything. Now I am a poor man.”
The two witnesses reported that five homes and two
commercial shops were damaged in the attack. Among the dead were Darwish
Khalifa’s sister, Rajaa Khalifa; Musab Ibrahim’s sister, Amena Ibrahim; and
five other civilians.
They told Amnesty that more than 20 civilians were injured
as a result of the attack, including Darwish Khalifa’s wife and son, and Musab Ibrahim’s
sister-in-law and father.
Both witnesses independently told Amnesty International that
there were no fighters in the vicinity of the attack. Musab Ibrahim stated that
the nearest military checkpoint was more than 500 metres away. Based on this
and other factors – including the residential character of the neighbourhood
and the type of weapon used – this strike appears likely to have constituted a
direct attack against civilians and civilian objects, or at the least an
indiscriminate attack.
Bab al-Neirub neighbourhood, 13 June 2014
Amnesty International spoke with Saleh Soufan, aged 11, who
survived an air attack by government forces in his neighbourhood in Bab
al-Neirub at around 3pm on 13 June 2014.
HE SAID THE WEAPON USED WAS A BARREL BOMB BECAUSE OF THE
DISTINCTIVE SOUND IT MADE AS IT WAS DROPPED;
the Violations Documentation Center confirmed that a barrel
bomb was used in this attack.54 Saleh Soufan’s mother said that at the time of
the attack, her son was playing with his cousins just outside his grandfather’s
carpentry shop, which is located behind the main electrical substation in Bab
al-Neirub.
Saleh Soufan told Amnesty International:
“I was with three of my four cousins. I heard the sound of
the helicopter, and everyone knew it was coming –
THEN THE BARREL WAS FALLING DOWN.
I hid under a tree. My cousins ran the other way, and they
hid in front of the house. Omar and Hamzeh died. My youngest cousin, who was
under both his brothers, survived… I was taken to Omar Bin Abdul Aziz hospital.
They saw my leg, and they sent me to Kilis [Turkey].
EVENTUALLY THEY TOOK [AMPUTATED] MY LEG,
which was full of shrapnel, and half of my finger. I’m ok
now. It’s just that it’s really boring not being able to move around and always
staying at home.”
Saleh Soufan’s mother reported that 15 houses and a large
warehouse were destroyed in the attack and that the entire Fayyad family was
killed. In addition to Omar Soufan, aged 11, and Hamzeh Soufan, aged 9, the
Violations Documentation Center reported that Maryam Ali Fayyad, aged 4, and
Kamel Attar, aged 12, were killed, as well as Dalia Atef and Abd alQader Dalal.56
Saleh Soufan’s mother said that although
SOME OF THE MEMBERS OF AN ARMED OPPOSITION GROUP SOMETIMES
SLEPT AT THE ELECTRICAL SUBSTATION,
which was around 250 metres away from the strike,
ALL THOSE WHO DIED IN THE ATTACK WERE CIVILIANS,
AND THE STRIKE HIT ONLY CIVILIAN HOMES.
If so, the attack is likely to have constituted either a
direct attack on civilians and civilian objects or an indiscriminate attack.
Sukkari neighbourhood, 16 June 2014
ON 16 JUNE 2014 AT AROUND 11AM, GOVERNMENT FORCES LAUNCHED
AN AIR STRIKE ON A CROWDED PUBLIC MARKET IN SUKKARI NEIGHBOURHOOD.
Khaled Khateeb, A MEMBER OF THE CIVIL DEFENCE TEAM THAT LED
THE RESCUE EFFORT FOR THIS ATTACK,
as well as SEVERAL MONITORING GROUPS,
confirmed that GOVERNMENT FORCES USED TWO BARREL BOMBS.
Witnesses told Amnesty International that
THE SECOND BARREL BOMB HIT BETWEEN FIVE AND SEVEN MINUTES
AFTER AND METRES AWAY FROM THE FIRST STRIKE, JUST AS THE LOCAL CIVIL DEFENCE
FORCE AND OTHERS WERE GATHERING TO ASSIST THOSE INJURED IN THE FIRST ATTACK.
Nader, a resident of al-Fardous neighbourhood, reported that
the first bomb struck an apartment building, and the second hit a main
intersection near the neighbourhood’s local council headquarters.
Both Khaled Khateeb and Khalil Hajjar, A MEDIA ACTIVIST, reported that THE SECOND STRIKE HIT 50 METRES AWAY FROM A DISTRIBUTION POINT FOR HUMANITARIAN AID, WHERE AROUND 150 PEOPLE WERE QUEUING TO RECEIVE FOOD BASKETS.
Both Khaled Khateeb and Khalil Hajjar, A MEDIA ACTIVIST, reported that THE SECOND STRIKE HIT 50 METRES AWAY FROM A DISTRIBUTION POINT FOR HUMANITARIAN AID, WHERE AROUND 150 PEOPLE WERE QUEUING TO RECEIVE FOOD BASKETS.
Nader arrived at the site four minutes after the first
strike and received minor shrapnel wounds in the second strike. He described
his experience to Amnesty International:
“When we arrived, the people in that neighbourhood [near the
strike] were running away, and the people from outside were running toward the
strikes to help rescue the people.
WE DIDN’T HEAR THE SECOND BARREL COMING BECAUSE PEOPLE WERE
CRYING and shouting,and the cars were honking.
[AFTER THE SECOND STRIKE] THERE WERE HEADS, HANDS, BODY
PARTS EVERYWHERE…
Our neighbour, Ayman, was lost in the ruins and never found.
THEY COULD NOT RECOVER HIS BODY.
There are a lot of people who were lost on that day.
MY UNCLE DIED THERE. WE PUT HIS HAND IN THE TOMB, AND WE PUT
HIS LEGS THERE TOO – BUT WE ARE NOT CERTAIN THEY ARE HIS LEGS.
THE OTHER PIECES OF HIS BODY ARE STILL IN THE RUBBLE.”
Khalil Hajjar was in the office of People in Need, a
humanitarian organization, when he heard the first strike. He told Amnesty
International:
“We heard a huge explosion. We went to see what it was, and
then five minutes later the second barrel came.
THE PEOPLE WHO WERE THERE TO HELP HAD ALSO BECOME VICTIMS,
SO THERE WAS NO ONE TO HELP AFTER THE SECOND BOMB…
I couldn’t document the event because I needed to try to
rescue some people from the rubble.”
Barraj al-Halabi, a member of the Aleppo Media Centre,
described the scene when he arrived 10 minutes after the attack:
“BODIES WERE STREWN OUT ON THE GROUND.
SIX CARS WERE BURNING, AND THE PEOPLE INSIDE THEM WERE DEAD.
A LITTLE GIRL CAME UP TO ME
and said, ‘My family is inside that building, I need my family.’
I told her to be
patient and that we would bring them to her. Because of the dust, I couldn’t
see, and I thought she had a house. But when the dust came down, there was no house
at all.
She had no house and no family.”
She had no house and no family.”
Majd, a dentist, was in his office at the time of the
attack. The second barrel struck only 20 metres away from him, and shrapnel
from the blast lodged in his back. He then crawled out to the street.
He told Amnesty International:
“I DON’T KNOW HOW TO DESCRIBE IT… IT WAS PURE HORROR.
I guarantee you everyone I saw – everyone on the ground –
was a civilian. They were people I knew, people I saw every day.
SOME WERE FROM THE CIVIL DEFENCE, OTHERS WERE MEDIA ACTIVISTS
who came to document the first strike, there was the man who ran the ice-cream shop, the man who ran the sandwich shop, the man who ran the toy store. These are people I would say good morning to every day on my way to work.
who came to document the first strike, there was the man who ran the ice-cream shop, the man who ran the sandwich shop, the man who ran the toy store. These are people I would say good morning to every day on my way to work.
THEY WERE ALL KILLED.”
Witnesses reported that five buildings were severely damaged
in the strikes, including a bakery and several commercial shops. The Violations
Documentation Center identified at least 77 civilians who were killed in the
attack, including seven children between the ages of 2 and 17;
NO FIGHTERS WERE RECORDED AMONG THE DEAD.
ALL WITNESSES REPORTED THERE WAS NO MILITARY PRESENCE IN THE
VICINITY OF THE STRIKES.
Civil defence member Khaled Khateeb stated that
AT THE TIME OF THE ATTACK THERE WAS A BUNKER FOR AN ARMED OPPOSITION GROUP AFFILIATED WITH THE FREE SYRIAN ARMY LOCATED ABOUT 500 METRES AWAY,
AT THE TIME OF THE ATTACK THERE WAS A BUNKER FOR AN ARMED OPPOSITION GROUP AFFILIATED WITH THE FREE SYRIAN ARMY LOCATED ABOUT 500 METRES AWAY,
and the nearest front line was more than three kilometres
away.
Given the location of this attack, on a public market and
near an aid distribution point, the nature of the weapons and the means of
delivery, and the fact that only civilians were killed, it appears to have been
a direct attack on civilians and civilian objects or, at the least, an
indiscriminate attack.
Al-Sakhour hospital, 1 July 2014
At around 5pm on 1 July 2014, a field hospital in al-Sakhour
neighbourhood was damaged in an air strike conducted by government forces.
Monitoring groups as well as Khaled Khateeb, from the Civil Defence, told
Amnesty International that a barrel bomb was used in this attack. Khaled
arrived a few minutes after the strike. He told Amnesty International:
“THE MAIN DAMAGE WAS IN THE HOSPITAL’S BREAK ROOM AND
CAFETERIA.
We saw TWO AMBULANCES THAT WERE DESTROYED AND ONE THAT WAS STILL BURNING.
We saw TWO AMBULANCES THAT WERE DESTROYED AND ONE THAT WAS STILL BURNING.
I SAW BODY PARTS I COULDN’T EVEN RECOGNIZE.
We moved the dead bodies out, and then we took all the
injured people from the attack and from before the attack to nearby clinics and
hospitals. The hospital was completely damaged, so they had to move it under
the ground after that.”
A doctor from a nearby field hospital told Amnesty
International that he received several of the patients who had been
transferred, including one who was paralyzed by a shrapnel injury from the
attack that day. He stated that the majority of the injuries he treated were
the result of fragments from explosive weapons.
KHALED CONFIRMED THAT THERE WERE NO MILITARY CHECKPOINTS,
BASES OR MEMBERS OF ARMED GROUPS NEAR THE HOSPITAL, SAYING, “
Of course a hospital is a civilian place.”
According to the Civil Defence and Physicians for Human
Rights, four civilians were killed in the attack and seven were injured.
THIS HOSPITAL HAD BEEN REPEATEDLY DAMAGED IN ATTACKS BEFORE
THE INCIDENT. IN JUNE 2014 ALONE, IT SUFFERED SEVEN BARREL BOMB AND MISSILE
ATTACKS, A STRONG INDICATION THAT IT WAS BEING DELIBERATELY TARGETED.
HOSPITALS, AMBULANCES AND MEDICAL FACILITIES ARE SPECIALLY
PROTECTED UNDER INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW, AND THEIR CIVILIAN STATUS MUST
BE PRESUMED.
The attack on 1 July, as well as the previous seven attacks,
flouted these protections and appear likely to have constituted direct attacks
on civilians and civilian objects or, at the least, indiscriminate attacks.
Al-Mowasalat neighbourhood, 6 November 2014
On 6 November 2014 at around 3.30pm, government forces
dropped two barrel bombs on alMowasalat neighbourhood, five minutes apart.
Firas, a resident of the neighbourhood, described what he
saw when he arrived at the scene minutes after the first attack:
“The site became very crowded with people who came to help.
Then five minutes after the first attack, they attacked us again. The people
started calling,
‘A BARREL, A BARREL,’ AND WE RAN TO HIDE INSIDE A BUILDING near
Nur Shuhada mosque…
INSIDE THE BARREL, THERE IS A SHARP PLATE THAT CAN CUT
STEEL, SO HOW ABOUT THE HUMANS?
THEY ARE SLICED THROUGH.
I saw more than injured people.
I SAW A CHILD WHOSE FACE WAS COMPLETELY TURNED TO BLOOD.
ANOTHER CHILD WAS HOLDING IN ONE HAND HIS OTHER HAND, WHICH
HAD BEEN CUT OFF COMPLETELY.
He was screaming,
‘Bring it back to me.’”
Firas said the attack severely damaged the building he was
in as well as several others nearby. He also noted that a main water pipe was
damaged, resulting in the water supply to the neighbourhood being cut for
several days.
Syrian monitoring groups identified at least 13 civilians
who were killed as a result of the attack. According to a media source, the
first attack may have been aimed at an evacuated checkpoint for Jabhat
al-Nusra; however, Firas stated that the nearest checkpoint was nearly 1.5
kilometres from the site of the attack.
This attack was likely to have been a direct attack on
civilians and civilian objects. However, even if the intended target was the
abandoned checkpoint,
THE RESIDENTIAL CHARACTER OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD AND THE
PRESENCE OF SO MANY CIVILIANS SHOULD HAVE RULED OUT THE USE OF AN IMPRECISE
EXPLOSIVE WEAPON WITH A LARGE BLAST RADIUS SUCH AS A BARREL BOMB.
In that case, this attack would have been disproportionate
or otherwise indiscriminate.
English Tomb area, 18 November 2014
On 18 November 2014 at around 10am, government forces
launched an air attack on Castello Road, near the Carrefour mall in Hreitan, in
the northern suburbs of Aleppo. Omar Haj Omar,
A MEMBER OF THE CIVIL DEFENCE TEAM IN ANADAN, CONFIRMED THAT
A BARREL BOMB WAS USED, AS HE SAW THE BOMB FALLING FROM THE WINDOW OF HIS
OFFICE
and later observed the blast site.
Several monitoring groups also confirmed the use of at least
one barrel bomb in this attack. Omar Haj Omar described the scene of the
attack:
“THE CIVIL DEFENCE HAD SEEN A HELICOPTER IN THE AIR EARLIER
IN THAT AREA, SO WE KNEW THEY MIGHT ATTACK. I ARRIVED 10 MINUTES LATER…
The bomb had hit exactly in front of the Carrefour mall.
I SAW AN AMBULANCE BURNING, FULL OF DEAD PEOPLE,
and a minibus that had been full of people.
They were spread out all over the road.
WE TOOK THREE DEAD BODIES FROM THE AMBULANCE. TWO OF THEM WERE
PATIENTS, AND ONE WAS A NURSE. FROM THE MINIBUS, WE REMOVED A WOMAN WHOSE HEAD
HAD BEEN SEVERED,
and four other dead bodies.
THE DRIVER OF A MOTORCYCLE HAD BEEN CHOPPED INTO TWO PIECES.
The body parts were everywhere.
I CAN’T SAY HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE KILLED BECAUSE THEY WERE IN
PIECES.”
Sami al-Raj, a media activist, arrived around two minutes
after the strike. He described what he saw:
“There was a minibus burning, and the fire was still going
when I arrived. Many people were inside. There were injured people, dead
people,
THERE WERE OLD PEOPLE WHO COULDN’T WALK…
Ten vehicles were destroyed and more than 20 were damaged.”
The Civil Defence identified 17 civilians who were killed as
a result of this attack and 10 who were injured;
NO FIGHTERS WERE RECORDED AMONG THE DEAD.
SYRIAN MONITORING GROUPS REPORTED THAT AT LEAST 16 CIVILIANS
WERE KILLED, INCLUDING FIVE CHILDREN.
The two witnesses reported that there were no military
checkpoints, bases or members of armed groups near the site of the strike, and
Omar Haj Omar further noted,
“There was absolutely nothing related to the military
anywhere close to that place.”
If this is the case, the attack appears to have constituted
a direct attack against civilians and civilian objects. Even if there were a
military objective in the vicinity, this still would have constituted an
indiscriminate attack.
Baideen neighbourhood, 1 and 5 February 2015
According to monitoring groups and media sources, government
forces dropped two barrel bombs in Baideen neighbourhood, moments apart, on the
afternoon of 1 February 2015.
Media sources reported that both bombs landed on a
residential building and that the attack resulted in the deaths of at least 10
people, including eight children.
On 5 February 2015, government forces dropped another barrel
bomb in Baideen, this time on the main roundabout in the neighbourhood.
Monitoring groups identified at least 24, and possibly as many as 45, civilians
who were killed as a result.79 Most of those injured or killed were aboard or
waiting to board civilian buses that were on the roundabout at the time of the attack.
Amnesty International spoke to the director of a field
hospital in al-Sakhour neighbourhood, who said he had received 80 injured
patients from this attack. He confirmed that the victims had been injured by
fragments from explosive weapons and that two medical staff had been injured.
EVEN IF THESE ATTACKS HAD LEGITIMATE MILITARY OBJECTS, WHICH
SEEMS UNLIKELY GIVEN THAT THEY STRUCK A RESIDENTIAL BUILDING AND A CROWDED
ROUNDABOUT, THEY APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN INDISCRIMINATE AND COULD ALSO HAVE
CONSTITUTED DIRECT ATTACKS ON CIVILIANS AND CIVILIAN OBJECTS.
ATTACKS WITH MISSILES AND OTHER PROJECTILES
The attacks examined in this section used weapons, such as
missiles, that appear capable of being used with some precision.
This fact and the circumstances of the attacks examined here
suggest that civilians and civilian objects were deliberately targeted by
government forces and therefore amounted to war crimes.
This report examines three missile attacks below that are
illustrative of the hundreds of similar ones launched by government forces
since January 2014.
Ain Jalut school, 30 April 2014
ON THE MORNING OF 30 APRIL 2014, JUST BEFORE 9AM, GOVERNMENT
FORCES ATTACKED AIN JALUT SCHOOL.
The school, located in al-Ansari al-Sharqi neighbourhood,
had been attacked previously in August 2013.82 At the time of the 30 April
attack, students and teachers from Ain Jalut and nearby schools were arriving
for an exhibition of children’s drawings depicting the students’ experiences of
the conflict.
The use of two
missiles in this attack was confirmed by several monitoring organizations.
(suite p. 40)
*
VIDEO BBC EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: SYRIA'S ASSAD
SYRIA CONFLICT: BBC EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH PRESIDENT
BASHAR AL-ASSAD
10 February 2015
PROFILES
SYRIAN LEADER BASHAR AL-ASSAD
12 November 2014
http://www.bbc.com/news/10338256
*
ASSAD, SYRIA, SYRIA CONFLICT, SYRIA'S NORTHERN ALEPPO PROVINCE, BARREL BOMBS - LARGE CONTAINERS FILLED WITH EXPLOSIVES, BARREL BOMBS DROPPED FROM GOVERNMENT HELICOPTERS, ACTIVISTS REPORT BARREL BOMBS BEING DROPPED FROM GOVERNMENT HELICOPTERS EVERY DAY IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE COUNTRY. THEY CONSIST OF STEEL DRUMS PACKED WITH EXPLOSIVES AND SHRAPNEL - AND SOMETIMES WITH CHLORINE GAZ, ACTIVISTS, UK-BASED SYRIAN OBSERVATORY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, SOHR, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL/ VIOLATIONS DOCUMENTATION CENTER, MILITANTS, REBEL-HELD QUARTER, SYRIA'S GOVERNMENT HAS REPEATEDLY DENIED USING BARREL BOMBS, ACTIVISTS, WORST MASSACRES PERPETRATED BY THE GOVERNMENT, ISLAMIC STATE, TADMUR PRISON, PALMYRA, MILITANTS, CIVIL DEFENCE TEAM, SYMBOL OF STATE OPPRESSION IN SYRIA, POLITICAL PRISONERS,
*
ASSAD, SYRIA, SYRIA CONFLICT, SYRIA'S NORTHERN ALEPPO PROVINCE, BARREL BOMBS - LARGE CONTAINERS FILLED WITH EXPLOSIVES, BARREL BOMBS DROPPED FROM GOVERNMENT HELICOPTERS, ACTIVISTS REPORT BARREL BOMBS BEING DROPPED FROM GOVERNMENT HELICOPTERS EVERY DAY IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE COUNTRY. THEY CONSIST OF STEEL DRUMS PACKED WITH EXPLOSIVES AND SHRAPNEL - AND SOMETIMES WITH CHLORINE GAZ, ACTIVISTS, UK-BASED SYRIAN OBSERVATORY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, SOHR, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL/ VIOLATIONS DOCUMENTATION CENTER, MILITANTS, REBEL-HELD QUARTER, SYRIA'S GOVERNMENT HAS REPEATEDLY DENIED USING BARREL BOMBS, ACTIVISTS, WORST MASSACRES PERPETRATED BY THE GOVERNMENT, ISLAMIC STATE, TADMUR PRISON, PALMYRA, MILITANTS, CIVIL DEFENCE TEAM, SYMBOL OF STATE OPPRESSION IN SYRIA, POLITICAL PRISONERS,
