Objet : TV News at least here is totally silent about this.We know why.U.N. report: Syrian children tortured,
used as human shields
June 12, 2012 -- Updated 1355 GMT (2155 HKT)Syrian activist pleads for intervention
- NEW: Residents of a pro-government town blocked U.N. monitors, opposition group says
- NEW: A state-run TV channel was attacked, Syria says
- NEW: Syria says 36 "martyrs" buried Tuesday; opposition group says 18 killed Tuesday
- U.N. report: Children tortured because relatives suspected of supporting the opposition
(CNN) -- The Syrian regime has used children as human shields and tortured youths
whose parents are suspected dissidents, according to a U.N. report.
The report on children and armed conflict detailed harrowing accounts of juveniles
allegedly abused by pro-government forces.
"Most child victims of torture described being beaten, blindfolded, subjected to stress positions, whipped with heavy electrical cables, scarred by cigarette burns and, in one recorded case, subjected to electrical shock to the genitals," the report stated, citing
dozens of eyewitness accounts. "... Children were detained and tortured because
their siblings or parents were assumed to be members of the opposition or FSA, or
they themselves were suspected of being associated with FSA," a reference to the
rebel Free Syrian Army.
Dozens of children between ages 8 and 13 were reportedly used as human shields
by pro-regime forces during a raid on the village of Ayn l'Arouz in March, the report
said.
It also included allegations that rebel forces such as the Free Syrian Army
had recruited and used children, despite the FSA's stated policy of not recruiting any child under age 17.
Free Syrian Army officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
The Syrian regime has long blamed violence in the country on "armed
terrorist groups."
A human rights group has implored the U.N. Security Council to impose
an arms embargo on Syria "in response to widespread killings and other
grave violations against children."
Human Rights Watch said the council should impose targeted sanctions
such as asset freezes and travel bans on the Syrian leadership.
The group said at least 1,176 children have been killed since February
2011, citing the Syria Violations Documentation Center, a network of Syrian activists.
After 15 months, the bloodshed shows no sign of letting up, as regime
forces continue shelling cities across the country, opposition activists
.
At least 10 people, including a child, were killed by mortar shells Tuesday in the
eastern province of Deir Ezzor, according to the opposition Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights.
And in the commercial hub of Aleppo, regime forces fired dozens of artillery shells,
destroying a large number of homes and causing "massive displacement of residents,
the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria said Tuesday.
In Homs province, eight people were killed amid shelling and clashes with Syrian forces,
the observatory said.
Residents of the pro-government town of al-Sheer, near al-Haffa, prevented U.N.
observers from reaching al-Haffa on Tuesday by creating a human shield along the
road that passes though their town, the observatory said.
The residents lay down along the road, so the observers went back and looked for
other roads to take, the observatory said.
U.N. and U.S. officials have expressed concerns about reports of the government
using mortars, helicopters and tanks against the opposition in al-Haffa, in Lattakia
province. They've also expressed concerns that residents might be "trapped."
A banner on state TV said that some resident in Lattakia province "tried to explain
to members of the observers' mission their suffering from terrorists groups, but the
observers did not listen to them. Instead, one of their cars hit three citizens," two
of whom are in critical condition.
Meanwhile, Syria said an "armed terrorist group" attacked the
state-run al-Ikhbaria TV channel in al-Haffa in "an attempt to stop
national media from conveying the truth." The report said the channel
was reporting "objectively and responsibly."
The group opened fire on a car, and "al-Ikhbaria correspondent
Mazen Mohammad was hit in his hand while cameraman Fadi Yakoub
was hit in his chest," state-run news agency SANA reported.
SANA also reported that 36 "martyrs from the army and law
enforcement forces" were buried Tuesday.
The latest reports of violence came a day after government forces
fired indiscriminately from helicopters on a town on the outskirts of
Jabal Al-Zawiya, inflicting scores of casualties among civilians and
rebel forces, an activist told CNN.
Ibrahim Swed, speaking from the Idlib province town, said fighting
between the Free Syrian Army and government forces persisted for
six hours and resulted in 32 deaths.
Opposition activists said at least 93 people were killed across the country Monday,
including 35 in Idlib.
"The regime is escalating the use of violent forces," said an activist in Idlib whom
CNN is identifying only as Ahmad for safety reasons. "We cannot believe that the
world is watching us being killed ... we want military intervention."
Battle for largest cities may have begun
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the attacks indicated
the government's desperation.
The use of helicopters to fire on civilians and the use of pro-regime thugs called
Shabiha constitute "a very serious escalation," Nuland told reporters.
"What government voluntarily uses helicopters and fires from them on their own
civilians if they're not desperate?" she asked. "What government depends on a
bunch of thugs in trucks, irregulars, if they're not desperate? ... Clearly, the
is under threat."
U.N.-Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan said he was "gravely concerned"
about reports that fighting between Syrian government and opposition forces
had escalated.
"He is particularly worried about the recent shelling in Homs as well as reports of
the use of mortars, helicopters and tanks in the town of al-Haffa, Lattakia," Annan spokesman Ahmad Fawzi said in a statement Monday. "There are indications that
a large number of civilians are trapped in these towns."
Nuland said U.N. military observers had been trying to reach al-Haffa but had been
blocked by government forces.
Al-Assad defined by indecision, violence
The United Nations estimates that more than 10,000 people, mostly civilians, have
died since the crisis erupted in March 2011. Opposition groups give estimates
ranging from at least 12,000 to more than 14,000.
CNN cannot independently confirm reports of casualties or violence in Syria,
as the government has restricted access by international journalists.
CNN's Holly Yan, Salma Abdelaziz and Hamdi Alkhshali contributed to this
report.
Tuesday, 12 June 2012
Syria
Posts
