On the Massacre Regime Forces Carried out against Civilians in Homs’ Alwaer District

Press Statement Original in arabic

Syrian Coalition

Media Department

February 9, 2017

In yet another blatant violation of the cease-fire agreement, Assad’s militias committed a massacre claiming the lives of 11 civilians, including three children and three women in the besieged district of Alwaer in Homs on Wednesday. The district came under aerial and artillery bombardment that also left dozens wounded.

The district was also previously subjected to violent airstrikes that targeted residential areas and left dozens of civilian casualties besides causing massive destruction to civilian homes.

The Assad regime and its allies continue to pursue a criminal policy aimed at killing and displacing civilians and destroying the country without showing the slightest respect for the ceasefire agreement, thinking that these crimes can break the will of the Syrian people.

The massacre in Alwaer district is added to the Assad regime’s endless litany of crimes against the Syrian people. This crime, along with the crimes recently exposed by Amnesty International’s report on the Saydnaya Prison and other reports documenting the regime's crimes against the Syrian people, will eventually be referred to the International Criminal Court where those responsible will receive the punishment they deserve.

As the Wednesday massacre in Alwaer violates the Turkish and Russian-backed ceasefire agreement, it is imperative to activate the ceasefire monitoring mechanism, determine those responsible for these violations, and take action to ensure they are not repeated.