Responding to a decision of the Higher Regional Court in Koblenz, Germany, which has convicted former Syrian intelligence officer Anwar Raslan to life in prison for crimes against humanity, including torture, murder and rape of detainees in Branch 251, an infamous military intelligence facility in Damascus city, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East …
Tag Archives: Syria
Denmark must not return refugees to Syria
Under international human rights law, the principle of non-refoulement guarantees that no one should be returned to a country where they would face torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and other irreparable harm. This principle applies to all migrants at all times, irrespective of migration status. Amnesty International is deeply concerned about the …
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Syria: Vulnerable prisoners should be released to prevent spread of COVID-19
The Syrian authorities must cooperate fully with UN agencies and humanitarian organizations to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the country’s prisons, detention centres and military hospitals, Amnesty International has warned. Prisoners and detainees, including tens of thousands of people arbitrarily detained or forcibly disappeared, are at risk of contracting the disease as they are held in …
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Turkey: Syrians illegally deported into war ahead of anticipated ‘safe zone’
Turkey spent the months leading up to its military incursion into northeast Syria forcibly deporting refugees to the war-torn country, in advance of attempting to create a so-called “safe zone” on the Syrian side of the border, new Amnesty International research has revealed. The organization met or spoke with refugees who said Turkish police had …
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Syria: Damning evidence of war crimes and other violations by Turkish forces and allied armed groups
Turkish military forces and a coalition of Turkey-backed Syrian armed groups have displayed a shameful disregard for civilian life, carrying out serious violations and war crimes, including summary killings and unlawful attacks that have killed and injured civilians, during the offensive into northeast Syria, said Amnesty International today. The organization gathered witness testimony between 12 …
Syria: A year after Raqqa, US-led Coalition’s ongoing denials an insult to survivors
Disappointing Pentagon communiqué spurns liability for civilian casualties Coalition strikes destroyed 80% of Raqqa, killing hundreds of civilians Ongoing Amnesty International investigation reveals evidence of dozens of new civilian victims The US-led Coalition’s ongoing failure to admit to, let alone adequately investigate, the shocking scale of civilian deaths and destruction it caused in Raqqa is …
Syria: Putin takes hypocrisy to a new level with remarks on Raqqa civilian deaths
In an interview with Fox News following the Helsinki Summit on 16 July, Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasised the high civilian death toll from the US-led Coalition’s aerial bombardment of Raqqa, Syria. Amnesty International’s Middle East Research Director Lynn Maalouf responded: “The US-led Coalition should absolutely face heightened scrutiny for its conduct in last year’s …
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Russia & USA must use Putin-Trump summit to show they are responsible international players
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump must use their upcoming summit in Helsinki to tackle the world’s most urgent human rights issues and restore their nations’ credibility as responsible international players, Amnesty International said ahead of the meeting between the Russian and US presidents in Finland’s capital on Monday. The organisation calls on the two leaders …
Syria: Alleged chemical weapons pact with North Korea would represent ‘a betrayal of humanity’
Reacting to a New York Times article alleging that an unpublished United Nations report reveals that from 2012 to 2017 North Korea secretly shipped supplies to Syria that could be used to produce internationally banned chemical weapons, Lynn Malouf, Director of Research for the Middle East at Amnesty International, said: “Supplying any state with the …
Syria: Security Council must ensure civilians in Eastern Ghouta get immediate humanitarian assistance
Responding to the news that the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) finally voted on a much-delayed resolution calling for humanitarian aid into Eastern Ghouta and a partial ceasefire, Sherine Tadros, Head of Amnesty International’s UN Office said: “It shouldn’t require a Security Council resolution or a ceasefire for starving civilians to be allowed life-saving assistance …