UN says all Syrian parties committed human rights violations

BY Libyan Express Mar 02, 2017 - 11:22

The Syrian and Russian government deny targeting civilians in what was rebel-held Aleppo

BBC – UN human rights investigators say Syrian civilians fell victim to war crimes committed by all parties during the battle for Aleppo last year.

Daily air strikes by Syria’s government and its ally Russia claimed hundreds of lives, according to a new report.

Government forces also dropped chlorine bombs, resulting in hundreds of civilian casualties, it alleges.

Rebels are meanwhile accused of firing shells indiscriminately at government-held areas and of using human shields.

The evacuation of the rebel enclave in eastern Aleppo in December, which brought the battle to an end, also amounted to forced displacement, the investigators say.

The investigators from the UN Human Rights Council’s commission of inquiry on Syria interviewed hundreds of eyewitnesses, and examined satellite imagery and remnants of explosive devices.

They found civilians caught in the fighting during the last six months of the battle for Aleppo were left vulnerable to repeated violations of international law.

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