School shelled in Wafideen

The number of those reported to have been killed in Syria today (4/12/12) have reached 160, including a woman and 37 children, the majority of whom were in Damascus and its suburbs.

107 were reported to have been killed in Damascus and its suburbs, in which a number of massacres were perpetrated. In the Wafideen camp in Douma, 30 school students were horrifically killed when Syrian regime forces shelled a school (although some reports give lower numbers). The town of Sha’abah was subjected to heavy bombardment, resulting in the death of 8 civilians (5 children, one woman and two men) and tens of wounded. A large number of civilians fled the town. In Bahdalieh, a harrowing massacre took place in which 40 civilians were killed, and in Assayida Zainab area, 15 civilians were summarily executed by pro Assad militias, following their arrest and torture.

In Dar’aa, the child Abdul Majeed Miqdad was killed after stepping on a landmine in his yard, left behind after an invasion of his town by Syrian regime forces. This is whilst 16 were killed in Homs, 15 in Aleppo and 9 in Deir Ezzor.

The Syrian Human Rights Committee calls upon the international community to take note of the violations and massacres being perpetrated and take immediate action. The lives of children in Syria are subjected to extreme danger, even when in school or their own yards and homes due to the arbitrary and indiscriminate nature of attacks and use of weaponry by the Syrian regime forces. The silence of the international community on this is deplorable.

This is in addition to the killing of innocent and unarmed civilians, and their execution and torture, violating major human rights conventions, treaties and articles. It is incumbent upon the international community to work to put an end to the brutality taking place in Syria on a daily basis, which is costing lives, the environment, and the country.

Syrian Human Rights Committee
4/12/2012