Syria - country of concern: latest update 31 December 2014
Updated 21 January 2015
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/syria-country-of-concern/syria-country-of-concern-latest-update-31-december-2014
Any incidents or events taking place after 31 December 2014 will be covered in future reports.
0.1 Latest update: 31 December 2014
The last three months has seen the human rights situation in Syria deteriorate even further. Since the start of the conflict, it is estimated that at least 200,000 people have been killed, with an estimated 3.3 million Syrians having fled to neighbouring countries, and 7.6 million people displaced internally. There have continued to be appalling human rights abuses and violations over the period October – December 2014, notably by the Syrian regime and the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), whose brutality shows scant regard for the lives of civilians. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, more than 76,000 people were killed in Syria in 2014.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported that more than 500 civilians were killed in 2,000 regime airstrikes across Syria in a 40-day period during October and November. The Syrian Network for Human Rights documented the death of 17,268 children killed by Syrian government forces since the start of the conflict. During the last three months, British and US aid workers, Alan Henning and Peter Kassig, were beheaded by ISIL. The number of humanitarian workers killed in Syria since March 2011 now stands at 69.
On 12 November, regime security forces arrested high-profile Syrian activist Louay Hussein. This is a further example of the Syrian regime’s readiness to deny basic rights, freedoms and due process to thousands it detains. 9 December marked the one-year abduction of human rights activist Razan Zeitounah and her four colleagues. Their continued disappearance highlights the threats under which civil society activists operate within Syria.
On 14 November, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry published an independent report entitled “Rule of Terror: living under ISIL in Syria”. The paper, based on 300 first-hand victim witness accounts, highlighted further shocking evidence of ISIL’s murder of civilians in an effort to terrorise, indoctrinate, and silence the Syrian people. It details ISIL’s brutal targeting of civilians, including women, children and minority communities.
On 18 November, the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee adopted a resolution, including references to the International Criminal Court condemnation of ISIL, and attribution of the use of chemical weapons to the Syrian government.
The latest report of the United Nations Secretary General on the implementation of UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions 2139 and 2615 was released on 21 November. On 25 November, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Baroness Valerie Amos, briefed the UN Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Syria, and the implementation of these resolutions on humanitarian access. These reports provide further detail on the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Syria, such as indiscriminate aerial bombings by the Syrian regime, including the use of barrel bombs, killing many civilians, including children. They also record that the adoption of UNSC Resolution 2165 has enabled UN agencies and partners to reach more locations where assistance is urgently needed to complement the cross-border assistance already being delivered by NGOs. However, humanitarian needs continue to rise whilst the situation further deteriorates. On 17 December, the UK welcomed the unanimous adoption of UNSC Resolution 2191 ensuring the extension of the authorities in UNSC Resolution 2165 allowing cross-border access into Syria.
According to the report “No Escape”, released by Norwegian Refugee Council and International Rescue Committee, neighbouring countries are making it harder for refugees to escape Syria due to tightening of border restrictions. In October, only 18,453 refugees were registered by the United Nations Refugee Agency, an 88% drop from the 2013 monthly average. There are also reports that Egypt has issued deportation orders, which include a number of Palestinians who would be forcibly returned to Syria.