The date of the incident: 24.12.2012
Documented by: Syrian Network for Human Rights.
Talbesa city is located to the north of the city of Homs in Syria, on the international highway that runs through Syria from the north to the south. It is 13 Kilometres far from the city of Homs. Talbesa city is ranked fourth in the list of cities of Homs, after Tadmur, Al-Quseir and Al-Rastan, and it has a population of over 40,000 people.
We were told by eyewitness Mr Waled, that in the early morning of Monday 24 December 2012, the Assad Army began its bombardment on the city; Talbesa was inflicted with intense indiscriminate shelling, where Mortar and Fozdika shells were being used to attack the residential neighbourhoods. In conjunction to this, regime helicopters hovered above the city and dropped TNT barrel explosives, targeting residential homes. This led to many injuries among the residents. In the evening, MiG warplanes hovered in the skies of the city. They targeted the bakery with 6 missiles, where many people were gathered to collect their share of bread due to the difficult living conditions, a result of the siege on the city by Assad Forces.
This resulted to the horrendous massacre where 15 civilians were killed, 4 of whom were Mr Waled’s neighbours. This massacre consisted of 4 children, all from the same family – Al Yehya. They were the children of Majed Al Yehya. In addition to this, 5 other victims also from the same family, known as Al-Naji were killed.
MiG warplanes
http://youtu.be/e67WZYqPEJE
http://youtu.be/LGEY5b6ooEs
Regime helicopters shell the city
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQTt_6CbOX0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oYoTg5tI74
http://youtu.be/QheHMAr7I8g
Furthermore, many houses neighbouring the bakery were destroyed and a number of cars were set fire to. Civilians were also able to retrieve a body from beneath the rubble after houses were targeted by Assad Forces.
Artillery and mortar shells were used to shell the city till the late hours of the evening, which heightened fear and resulted to the displacement of a number of families in the city of Talbesa.
In the next day of the massacre, 3 more victims died as a result of the wounds inflicted upon them by the attacks of the Syrian Army. According to Abu Abdul Rahman Al-Homsi, they died due to the lack of medical supplies in the only field hospital in the city.
With the help of families, friends and eyewitnesses, we were able to document 15 names, with further details.
1-Abdulmo’en Soways – 60 years old- Talbesa – 24.12.2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhpuh7krWRI
2-Mahmoud Terki Soways – 25 years old- Talbesa – 24.12.2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp6dHZE6Ey0
3-Omar Othman Al-Naji – 31 years old – Talbesa – A father of two – 24.12.2012
4-Muhamad Omar Othman Al-Naji – Child
5-Hadeel Omar Al-Naji – Child
6-Hussein Faraj Al-Naji
7-Intesar Majed Yehya Haj Ibrahim – Child
8- Marwa Majed Yehya – 10 years old – Child
9- Huda Majed Yehya – 8 years old – Child
10- Amal Majid Yehya – 5 years old – Child
11-Abdulqadir Muhamad Meznazi – 60 years old
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waytXv4GFuI
12- Mustafa Ahmad Al-Naji
13-Nasr Omar Ahmad Al-Naji
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ltrr0T1UFo
14-Muhamad Omar Nafe’ Al-Naji – Child
://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSh4Fln_mzo&feature=youtu.be
15-Belal Abdulghani Khashfa – Killed as a result of his wounds after the bakery was shelled.
http://youtu.be/ZyRoqNi7cfE
*Attachements:
Victims & the injured:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ltrr0T1UFo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNNPWSnbBr0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDmgpe6ipF4
http://youtu.be/weTvbp2HycY
http://youtu.be/28ERPTxPWlU
The mutilation of children:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93EYgDDBBtg
A child’s head was crushed as a result of the shelling by regime warplanes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2m66zHd4Y8
Bodied are retrieved from beneath the rubble after the bakery was targeted.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRnjfbyQOkg
Shelling and destruction:
The aftermath of the shelling:
http://youtu.be/ByyJDnhg3jc
http://youtu.be/BX0YwSTvOV4
http://youtu.be/egc5xqEoVaw
http://youtu.be/CMbYqeUwaSk
http://youtu.be/YgexL_M8lF0
http://youtu.be/Icc2HKOKT9g
http://youtu.be/To1B8kQwNQc
http://youtu.be/Nfciqu9dNNo
http://youtu.be/BCQDHRzKPfc
http://youtu.be/IgbhnUag6JA
The explosion of the missile targeting the bakery
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfkAhtEjRkc
Civilians are targeted at the bakery with mortar shells after the massacre
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ig4a1Uagrdg
The father of the 4 children killed in this massacre
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQwDpsmVvPY&feature=youtu.be
A father reacts to the death of his son
http://youtu.be/28ERPTxPWlU
The funeral procession
http://youtu.be/a7DS4mIQh5w
http://youtu.be/nzOcvQIr838
Bodies are retrieved from beneath the rubble
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDmgpe6ipF4
Mosques call for the urgent donation of blood
http://youtu.be/M8w5rbEyiTg
The injured:
The injured are taken to be treated:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuturNT-x9g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeUl7-GxrhA&feature=youtu.be
http://youtu.be/HVqcCVU1phQ
The field hospital is targeted.
http://youtu.be/cP0lnXH_E5s
This is a massacre against civilians applies Article 7 of the Rome Statute as a crime against humanity, as Article 8 applies as a war crime as the deliberate killing without any reason.
The government did not Syrian or Syrian parliament open any investigation or accountability for one as if nothing had happened.
This massacre against civilians falls under the Statute of Rome, in which Article 7 is breached – as a crime is committed against humanity. Article 8 of the Statute is also applied, as this is a war crime with the deliberate killing of people without any reason.
Both the Syrian government and the Syrian parliament failed to open an investigation to hold anyone accountable. They responded as if nothing happened.
As a human rights organisation concerned with the protection of human rights, the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) strongly condemns this horrific massacre which amounts to a crime against humanity, as well as all other massacres perpetrated by the Syrian regime against the Syrian people around the clock. SNHR holds the Syrian regime and Bashar al-Assad, head of state and Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian regime’s army, completely and directly responsible for this massacre and its implications and consequences. SNHR also holds Iran, Russia and Hezbullah accountable for the continuation of the acts of killing due to constant and on-going arm and funds supply for the Syrian government. We call on the United Nations and the UN Security Council to swiftly take all necessary measures to protect civilians and fulfil their legal and moral responsibilities by accelerating the indictment of all those responsible for the perpetration of these massacres to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Syrian Network for Human Rights – London
Website: www.syrianhr.org
Email: press@syrianhr.org
Skype: Syrianhr