Horrific Massacre in Yalda

The town of Yalda (Rural Damascus) has been subjected to intense shelling for six days. It is being targeted from the Mount Kassioun area and nearby military barracks, which has led to the fleeing of the majority of its population. It was also attacked by the forces of the Syrian regime today (1/8/2012), resulting in a harrowing massacre in which (up till now) 27 citizens were summarily executed, slaughtered, and burnt. The number of victims may yet reach a hundred, especially as the forces attacked many houses, raided and destroyed their contents, and set fire to many of them.

This massacre, which rocks the conscience of humanity, requires immediate action from the international community, the United Nations, and human rights organisations to stop such massacres from taking place and to form a committee to investigate the massacre, the reasons behind it, and bring its perpetrators to justice. The international community should also strongly condemn the Syrian regime which is repeatedly committing massacres, summary executions and slaughter against citizens, as well as burning and destroying their possessions, arresting citizens arbitrarily and causing them to disappear.

Syrian Human Rights Committee
1/8/2012