Syria's human rights violations in May- SNHR

The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) on Sunday has outlined most notable human rights violations in May carried out by of the warring parties.

 

The monthly report documented the deaths of 96 civilians in May, including 15 children and 11 women, and nine people were died of torture.

 

The report has also recorded at least 162 cases of arbitrary arrest/ detention in May at the hands of the parties to the conflict and the controlling forces in Syria, including five children, with the largest percentage of these carried out by Syrian regime forces in Tartus province, Hama, then Damascus.

 

In addition to these incidents, the report also documents in May at least seven attacks on vital civilian facilities, one of which was at the hands of Syrian regime forces, while the other six were as a result of bombings, with the report being unable to identify their perpetrators.

 

As the report reveals, May saw a reduction in the rate of artillery and missile bombardment by Syrian regime forces and their allies on the cities and towns of the southern suburbs of Idlib, the western suburbs of Hama, and the eastern suburbs of Aleppo close to the front lines, while the shelling of the areas near the contact lines by Syrian regime forces caused fires in agricultural land in Jabal al Zaweya area of the southern suburbs of Idlib and wheat fields in the Sahl al Ghab area of the western suburbs of Hama, causing significant material damage for the farmers.

 

The report notes that clashes continued in May between Syrian National Army forces and Syrian Democratic Forces in the villages of Ein Eisa in the northern suburbs of Raqqa, which are under the control of Syrian Democratic Forces.

The report additionally reveals that bombings continued in all regions in Syria throughout May, especially in northern and eastern Syria. These bombings were concentrated in the areas of al Bab, Jarablos and Afrin in the suburbs of Aleppo, and Ras al Ein city in the northwestern suburbs of Hasaka. The report adds that mines also continue to claim large number of civilian lives across Syria. In May, SNHR documented the deaths of nine civilians, including four children.

 

The report further reveals that May saw a significant increase in the number of infection cases with the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic compared to previous months in all Syrian regions, with the Syrian regime’s Ministry of Health in May officially announced 1,762 cases of COVID-19 infection and 178 deaths in May. 

In northwestern Syria, more infections and deaths due to coronavirus were recorded in May, with the Early Warning Alert and Response Network (EWARN) announcing the documentation of 1,558 infections and 17 deaths related to COVID-19 for the month, the highest monthly record announced since the beginning of 2021.

In Northeastern Syria, a total of 2,024 cases of infection and 151 deaths were recorded in May, announced by the Health Authority in the Self-Management Authority of Northern and Eastern Syria.