{"id":1998,"date":"2015-08-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-08-01T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","slug":"","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dchrs.org\/?p=1998","title":{"rendered":"Aleppo Province then Damascus and its Suburbs Recorded the Highest Number of Victims in July 2015"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<a href=\"..\/english\/File\/DCHRS_Month_of_July_2015_Casualties_Statement_English.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>More than Half of the Victims were Killed by Indiscriminate Shelling<\/strong><\/a>\n<\/p>\n<p>\n<strong><a href=\"..\/english\/File\/DCHRS_Month_of_July_2015_Casualties_Statement_English.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Casualties Report for July 2015<\/a><\/strong><a href=\"..\/english\/File\/DCHRS_Month_of_July_2015_Casualties_Statement_English.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a>\n<\/p>\n<p>\nThe Damascus  Center for Human Rights Studies (DCHRS) is an independent human rights NGO that  monitors the human rights situation in Syria. In its thematic reports, the  DCHRS issues a first indication of the casualties that it has managed to  document to date. Through monitors who operate within Syria, DCHRS gathers  information from across the country. However, the center&rsquo;s access to  information from Kurdish-held and ISIS-held territories is limited. The DCHRS  is also unable to obtain accurate records on the number of Syrian regime forces  killed in action, because these figures are not published by the regime.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nIn July 2015 DCHRS documented 1,466 casualties, including 202 children  and 160 women. 81% of those killed were civilians. The remaining 19% belonged to  one of the fighting factions. Women and children respectively made up 11% and 14%  of the total number of war casualties.\n<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"..\/..\/english\/File\/DCHRS_Month_of_July_2015_Casualties_Report_English.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"..\/upimages\/Distribution_Victims_July2015_En.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" align=\"middle\" \/><\/a>\n<\/p>\n<p>\n&nbsp;\n<\/p>\n<p>\nThe most common  cause of death was the shelling of residential areas, which caused the death of  903 people in July. Sniper fire and indiscriminate shooting killed 45, whereas 55  people were tortured to death in the detention centers of the Syrian government  authorities. A further 7 persons were murdered in extrajudicial killings. Armed  groups such as ISIS killed 48, whilst the source of the bullets that killed  another 30 persons cannot be attributed to a particular group. 20 died from  starvation, which is a direct result of the siege that the Syrian regime  imposes in many areas. Various explosions killed 52 people. Finally, 22 persons  were killed as result of airstrikes by the U.S.-led international coalition in July  2015.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nOut of all the  Syrian regions, most deaths were recorded in the Aleppo and its suburb  province. Violent clashes between regime forces and various armed groups have  engulfed large parts of Aleppo as well as the surrounding countryside. The  Syrian regime has also targeted people in this area with barrel bombs. The  total number of casualties who were killed in Aleppo and its suburbs were 402  people. 86% of those were civilians (347 people), and 308 of whom were killed  by indiscriminate shelling. In addition to that, Damascus and its Suburbs followed in  the number of casualties, where 301 people were killed. 62% of those were  civilians (187 people), and 121 of whom were killed by indiscriminate shelling  in the month of July 2015.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nThrough  analysis of the casualties, it is possible to obtain a general picture of the  human rights situation in Syria. Two observations indicate that the Syrian  regime continues to actively target civilians. First, 81% of the total  casualties are civilians. Secondly, about more than half (62%) of the  casualties were the results of shelling, missiles, barrel bombs, and airstrikes.  These methods of warfare belong exclusively to the regime and are associated  with a high number of civilian deaths. The evidence collected by DCHRS points  to grievous violations of international human rights law and international  humanitarian law. Torture and extrajudicial killings constitute war crimes and  crimes against humanity.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nThe DCHRS  advocates for the protection of Syrian civilians. As a member of the  International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect (ICRtoP), the DCHRS  calls upon the international community to fulfill its Responsibility to Protect  with regard to Syria. DCHRS also appeals to medical and humanitarian  organizations to provide relief to ease the suffering of the Syrian people  inside Syria and abroad.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n<strong>Damascus Center for Human Rights  Studies (DCHRS)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span> <\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p>\n<p>\n<strong>August 1, 2015<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n<p>\n&nbsp;\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>For more information, please contact:<\/strong><br \/>\nDr.  Radwan Ziadeh<br \/>\nExecutive  Director <br \/>\nTel:  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; +1 (571) 205-3590<br \/>\nEmail:  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href=\"mailto:radwan.ziadeh@dchrs.org\">radwan.ziadeh@dchrs.org<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n&nbsp;\n<\/p>\n<p>\nMr.  Mojahed Ghadban<br \/>\nCommunications  Officer.<br \/>\nTel:  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; +1 (479) 799-8115<br \/>\nEmail:  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href=\"mailto:info@dchrs.org\">info@dchrs.org<\/a>\n<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">\n<a href=\"..\/english\/news.php\">The Damasus Center for Human Rights Studies (DCHRS)<\/a> is  an independent human rights NGO that monitors the human rights situation in  Syria. Established in 2005, it  was initially located in the Syrian capital of Damascus. The mission of DCHRS  is to promote respect for human rights in Syria.\n<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">\nDCHRS engages in numerous documentation projects.  These projects include <a href=\"..\/english\/news.php?idC=16\">daily casualty reports<\/a>, reports on particular  massacres, and the reporting and documenting of other human rights violations.  DCHRS has also works to lobby and advocate for Syrian human rights, and aims to  draw the world&rsquo;s attention to the deteriorating human rights situation in  Syria.\n<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">\nSince the beginning of the Syrian revolution, the  center has expanded its activities, working to coordinate and communicate with  activists. At this time, the center began documenting the daily violations  committed by Syrian regime forces, many of which can be classified as crimes  against humanity or war crimes. As the conflict developed, DCHRS expanded its  monitoring activities to all armed groups.\n<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">\nHuman rights violations recorded by DCHRS have  included (but are not limited to): extrajudicial killings, massacres, arbitrary  detention, enforced disappearances, rape, and torture. DCHRS has <a href=\"..\/english\/news.php?id=1236&amp;idC=1\">opened local offices in Syria<\/a> in order to document  evidence concerning human rights violations on the ground. These reports have  been submitted by DCHRS to many international and regional human rights organizations,  as well as with the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the  Syrian Arab Republic (established by the UN).\n<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">\nDCHRS recognizes and adheres to all pertinent  international human rights agreements and declarations issued by the UN. DCHRS  is also a member of the following international networks:\n<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li> International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)<\/li>\n<li> Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN)<\/li>\n<li> NGO Coalition for the international Criminal Court<\/li>\n<li> International Coalition for the Responsibility to  Protect (ICRtoP)<\/li>\n<li> International Coalition of Sites of Conscience  (ICSC)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In July 2015 DCHRS documented 1,466 casualties, including 202 children and 160 women. 81% of those killed were civilians. The remaining 19% belonged to one of the fighting factions. Women and children respectively made up 11% and 14% of the total number of war casualties.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1998","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dchrs.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1998","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dchrs.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dchrs.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dchrs.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dchrs.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1998"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dchrs.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1998\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dchrs.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dchrs.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1998"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dchrs.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}