The latest report [12] of the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic stated [13] on Sept. 14 that Syria is "not fit for safe and dignified returns of refugees." The report found that between July 2020 and June 2021, armed conflict increased in the country. The report documented 243 civilian deaths, but estimated that the total number of fatalities is actually far greater. The report also stressed the humanitarian crisis and ongoing human rights abuses in the country. Conditions were also found to be precarious for the 6.7 million displaced persons within the country.
The report estimated that 40,000 children are being detained in camps [14] for suspected ISIS collaborators in the Kurdish-controlled east of the country. Paulo Pinheiro, chair of the Commission of Inquiry, said that these conditions indicate that the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child [15], which Syria ratified in 1993, is being "completely forgotten."
"The parties to the conflict continue to perpetrate war crimes and crimes against humanity and infringing the basic human rights of Syrians," commented [17] Pinheiro. "The war on Syrian civilians continues, and it is difficult for them to find security or safe haven."
The report recommended that the Syrian government and other parties to the conflict allow humanitarian organizations access to the country without restrictions, immediately cease perpetrating human rights abuses, and work towards a ceasefire.
From Jurist [18], Sept. 15
See our last post on the plight of Syrian refugees [19], and the Assad regime's restrictions on aid [20].
