12 April 2011 – Special Rapporteur on Extra-judicial,
Summary or Arbitrary Executions
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
United Nations Office at Geneva, 8-14, avenue de la Paix,
1211 Geneva 10
BY EMAIL: urgent-action@ohchr.org, eje@ohchr.org,
freedex@ohchr.org
BY FAX: +41 22 917 90 06
ALK reference: 2011/2718-2766
Copy for the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and the
protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
Follow up information
Re: Syria –
Risk of massacre and ongoing extrajudicial executions
Excel list of 49 individuals who were killed during the
protests.
Syria acceded to the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights (ICCPR) on 21 April 1969 and the Convention against Torture
(CAT) on 19 August 2004
Mr Special Rapporteur,
Alkarama and the Damascus Centre for Human Rights Studies
write to share our concern regarding the situation of the Syrian army blockade
on the port city of Banias, following an intensification of the four-week long
disturbance that has left many dead throughout Syria, as we have communicated
to you previously. On Sunday night, Banias was cordoned off by the military
and, as tanks fanned out, access to medical services was blocked and
communications were interrupted.
Alkarama fears that further killings or even a massacre may
take place, as happened in February 1982 when the Syrian army conducted a
scorched earth policy against the town of Hama in order to quell a revolt by
the Sunni Muslim community against the regime of Hafez Al-Assad.
We also write to provide more information regarding the
extra-judicial execution of a further 49 individuals during recent protests in
Syria as of 11 April 2011. As with the 134 cases provided to you between 20
March and 5 April 2011, these deaths are the result of the excessive use of
force by members of the Syrian security forces and the military against
peaceful demonstrators who are calling for democratic change in their country.
Background Information
As you will be aware, from 15 March 2011, there has been a
wave of peaceful popular protests in Syria calling for, inter alia, the
abolition of emergency law in the country and denouncing corruption. During
these protests in Syria, the authorities, including governmental security and
military forces, have used excessive force, including the use of live
ammunition to try to disperse protesters.
Alkarama is informed that the situation in Syria continues
to worsen, and the town of Banias is now surrounded by the military, including
with military tanks, and as in other cities around Syria, security forces are
using live ammunition to disperse protesters, resulting in many deaths and
injuries. This town has been especially targeted because of the massive
protests which have taken place over the last few weeks, and the authorities
seek to suppress protesters following a demonstration which featured more than
2,000-people on Friday 8 April 2011. As described above, Banias was cordoned
off by the military on Sunday night (10 April) and, as tanks fanned out, access
to medical services was blocked and communications were interrupted. It is
unknown how this situation will evolve, but we fear a repeat of the Hama
massacre of 1982, in which 10’000 to 30’000 people are believed to have been
killed.
In additionto the follow up information provided to you on 5
April, Alkarama has also been informed of the death of an additional 49
individuals throughout Syria, killed between 8 and 11 April 2011 – as set out
in the table enclosed. The table contains the names and details relating to
individuals killed up until 11 April. This only demonstrates that the Syrian
authorities have not acted to prevent extra-judicial executions, and that
extra-judicial executions are committed with total impunity. This emerging
pattern is an extremely alarming allegation and human rights abuses of this
kind should be stopped immediately.
Requests
In light of the above information and the information
submitted previously in this regard, we request that you take urgent action
with the Syrian authorities to ensure that such violations are not repeated and
that they take all steps necessary to refrain from using excessive force
against peaceful demonstrators.
We also request, in accordance with the Human Rights
Council’s resolution 8/3, para. 7(a), that you immediately draw the attention
of the Council to this serious situation of extrajudicial executions which
warrants the Council’s immediate attention. We also ask you that you urgethe
Human Rights Council to hold a special session regarding the situation in
Syria, considering the systematic and widespread violations being committed.
Thank you for your consideration of this matter. Please do
not hesitate to contact us if we can be of any assistance.
Yours faithfully,
Me RachidMesli
Alkarama,
Director, Legal Department
Dr. Radwan Ziadeh
Director
Damascus center for Human Rights Studies