SNHR: The Assad Regime Takes Revenge on Daraa Governorate for its Peaceful and Civilized Rejection of the Regime’s ‘Presidential Elections’
The Syrian Network for Human Rights confirmed that the Assad regime is taking revenge on Daraa Governorate for its peaceful, civilized rejection of the farcical election play, through siege, bombing, killing, and arbitrary arrests.
The network issued a report today, Monday, on the gradual progression of the Assad regime, Iran and Russia in extending their control over southern Syria, and the failure of all agreements to protect civilians from forced displacement.
In its report, the network said that what distinguishes southern Syria from the rest of the areas that were subject only to the de-escalation agreement is that they are subject to another agreement that is more important than the Astana talks, which is the Russian-American bilateral ceasefire agreement, which entered into force on July 9, 2017.
In its report, the network drew attention to the fact that civilians avoid targeting operations, respect the rules of international humanitarian law by both parties during the clashes, and respect international human rights law.
The report stated that Daraa governorate moved after July 2018 to new agreements between the Assad regime on the one hand and the revolutionary factions on the one hand, but under Russian sponsorship, and these agreements were characterized by different terms between one region and another, despite the existence of comprehensive conditions, and it was based on different cases of the control.
The report indicated that the Assad regime began to take revenge on Daraa governorate for its peaceful and civilized expression of the illegality of its presidential elections, through a military escalation. On June 23, 2021, the Assad regime demanded through the Russian officer responsible for the southern Syrian region, the heads of the negotiation committees in Daraa demanded his extradition. A quantity of light weapons, and when the committees refused this request, then all roads were closed and the area was completely surrounded.
According to the report, the process of road closures was followed by a dangerous escalation path, as the Assad regime forces brought in military reinforcements and threatened a massive military operation.
The report pointed to the agreement that took place between the security committee of the Assad regime and the negotiating committee in the city of Daraa on July 24, which stipulated the lifting of the siege imposed on the area, in return for handing over some individual weapons to the people, conducting a “security settlement” for nearly 200 people, and fixing three points. military.
The report mentioned the most prominent violations committed by al-Assad forces from June 23 to August 9, 2021, which recorded the death of 11 civilians, including 5 children and two women, and the arrest of at least 104 people.
The network called on the UN Security Council and the United Nations to expedite the political transition process, and the need to refer the Syrian file to the International Criminal Court and to hold all those involved in crimes against humanity and war crimes accountable.
