Syrian authorities demolish seven residential districts

Syrian authorities have flattened seven residential districts to punish civilians living among rebels who had already fled, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said today.

The New York-based advocacy group published before-and-after satellite images of the destruction, along with witness testimony, in a report released on its website.

It says Syria deliberately and unlawfully demolished thousands of residential buildings in the year from July 2012, estimating the total built-up area destroyed at 145 hectares (360 acres), the equivalent of 200 soccer fields, and said many of the buildings were apartment blocks up to eight storeys high.

It names the districts as Masha'a al-Arbaeen and Wadi al-Jouz in the central city of Hama, and Qaboun, al-Tadamon, Barzeh, Harran al-Awamid and Mezze airport in and around the capital, Damascus.

Syrian officials and pro-government media said the demolitions were conducted to remove buildings constructed without the necessary permits or as part of urban planning efforts.

But HRW said “the context and circumstances” of the destruction showed it was actually intended to punish civilians living in areas that had previously housed rebel fighters.

The advocacy group said the destruction violated internationally recognised laws of war forbidding combatants from targeting civilians, and said Syrian authorities should be held accountable.

“No one should be fooled by the government’s claim that it is undertaking urban planning in the middle of a bloody conflict,” said Ole Solvang, a HRW researcher.

“This was collective punishment of communities suspected of supporting the rebellion.”

Reuters