A new report by Human Rights Watch documents the wholesale destruction of neighborhoods loyal to the Syrian opposition
Over the past two years, the Syrian government has embarked on a systematic campaign to demolish large swaths of urban areas and raze entire neighborhoods in an effort to punish opposition supporters and drive suspected rebels out of strategic areas, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch. The report details the destruction, by explosives and bulldozers, of thousands of residential buildings spread across seven neighborhoods in Damascus and Hama, two of Syria’s largest cities. The practice of destroying civilian areas, either as a form of punishment or in an attempt to clear ground, contravenes the laws of war, says Ole Solvang, emergencies researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Wiping entire neighborhoods off the map is not a legitimate tactic of war,” Solvang says. “These unlawful demolitions are the latest additions to a long list of crimes committed by the Syrian government.”
In official announcements the government has stated that the demolitions were designed to remove illegally constructed buildings or were part of urban planning efforts, according to the report, but similarly illegal edifices in pro-government areas were left alone. A government official, speaking to TIME on condition of anonymity, says that the sites had long been slated for destruction. But in most cases the demolitions were supervised by military forces, and often followed fighting between government and opposition forces, says the report. “No one should be fooled by the government’s claim that it is undertaking urban planning in the middle of a bloody conflict,” says Solvang. “This was collective punishment of communities suspected of supporting the rebellion.” In many cases residents were reportedly not even given a warning. “I begged the soldier to let me in to collect my belongings,” a woman going by the name Umm Oday, from the Hama neighborhood of Masha` al-Arb`een, told Human Rights Watch. “He let me, but I had only a few minutes. After I left, the bulldozer demolished my house. Nothing was left of it, not even the walls.” Nothing was left of her neighborhood either: more than 40 hectares were flattened in the first two weeks of October 2012, says the rights group.1
The group says the apparent wanton destruction of civilian property and collective punishment are war crimes. Satellite images appear to show large-scale demolitions with explosives and bulldozers. The report comes as the regime and opposition leaders meet in Geneva for talks which might not be making much progress but are at least still continuing. A poll of Telegraph online readers has meanwhile shown that a large majority disapprove of British military intervention in Syria. A similar number also approve of negotiating with the Assad regime.
- 1. source: http://world.time.com/2014/01/30/rights-group-describes-campaign-of-destruction-by-assad-regime/