Human Rights Watch has stated that the Syrian military is guilty of war crimes committed during a two-week offensive, whilst the UN special envoy Kofi Annan was negotiating with the Syrian government in early April.
Stating that the intensity of the conflict in Syria has reached that of an “armed conflict under international law”, the New York-based NGO, has said that international humanitarian law was applicable in the country, with any violations being classified as war crimes.
Examining the region of Northern Idib, field investigations by HRW culminated in the 38-page report “They Burned My Heart”, which documented civilian executions, destruction of civilian property, detention without trial and torture being committed by Syrian government forces.
One woman told the group how government forces entered her home searching for her husband;
Stating that the intensity of the conflict in Syria has reached that of an “armed conflict under international law”, the New York-based NGO, has said that international humanitarian law was applicable in the country, with any violations being classified as war crimes.
Examining the region of Northern Idib, field investigations by HRW culminated in the 38-page report “They Burned My Heart”, which documented civilian executions, destruction of civilian property, detention without trial and torture being committed by Syrian government forces.
One woman told the group how government forces entered her home searching for her husband;
"They put a Kalashnikov to my head and threatened to kill us all if my husband did not come home. Then an officer told a soldier to get petrol and told my children that he would burn them, just as he would burn their father, because he is a terrorist."Anna Neistat, HRW’s associate director for program and emergencies , commented,
“While diplomats argued over details of Annan’s peace plan, Syrian tanks and helicopters attacked one town in Idlib after another. Everywhere we went, we saw burnt and destroyed houses, shops, and cars, and heard from people whose relatives were killed. It was as if the Syrian government forces used every minute before the ceasefire to cause harm.”See their video report below.
