Damascus Government seeks to starve indigenous residents, refugees in al-Shahba

Human rights and civil organizations have confirmed that the Damascus Government is seeking to starve of al-Shahba residents, which considers as war crime according to international humanitarian law, demanding from UN to intervene directly to lift its siege on al-Shahba.

1 February, 2021 10:57

AL-SHAHBA

Members and members of the Lawyers Union for Afrin Region and civil society organizations gathered in the courtyard of Sardam camp in al-Shahba canton to release a statement to the public opinion.

The statement was delivered in both languages, Kurdish by the administrator of the Teachers Union by Rivan Sido, and in Arabic by a member of the Lawyers Union, Farid Youssef.

The statement touched upon the killing and exodus that affected on Afrin people due to the occupation the city, adding " Turkish occupation is still ongoing in shelling the areas of al-Shahba and Afrin, which is inhabited by civilians."

The statement mentioned several massacres committed by the Turkish occupation against the people, namely: “The massacre of Tal Rifaat in 2019, the majority of which were children, the Akiba massacre in 2020, and a second massacre in Tal Rifaat on 1/23/2021.

The statement also noted" to the siege imposed by Damascus Government on al-Shahba, the Syrian Government has been starving the people of al-Shahab and Afrin since 3 years, where the refugees exceeded 150,000, including, the indigenous people, they are living between 5 camps and semi-destroyed houses."

And emphasized that this siege is not the first, but was preceded by several other sieges imposed by the Damascus Government, the first of which is on June 2, 2018, on October 10, 2018, on July 21, 2019, and on November 15, 2020, according to the statement that stated that the siege "includes all the people of The areas of al-Shahba and Afrin, with all its components and sects, without excluding any components.

And added " The siege has doubled the suffering in getting the diesel, gas, medicinal aids, baby milk, flour and other foodstuffs, as this violates the principles of international humanitarian law, as well as the 1977 Additional Protocols annexed to the four Geneva Conventions as well as under Rule 53 of the Law." "The customary international humanitarian law, as well as the Rome Statute, which stipulates that intentional starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is a war crime. Likewise, the Statute of the International Criminal Court, Article 8, is also considered a crime of genocide."

The two organizations also called on the International Committee of the Red Cross and called on the local and international media to "focus on the harsh humanitarian conditions imposed by the siege on the forcibly displaced people of Afrin and the people of al-Shahba."

T/S

ANHA