“We went out in a peaceful protest with the whole family,” one woman said. “Then two cars showed up suddenly and opened fire. They were white Kia Cerato cars with tinted windows, like those used by Air Force intelligence.” Her 3-year-old son was shot in the stomach, but survived.
A new report details the killings, torture, and “disappearances” in Homs, Syria, a center of opposition to President Bashar al-Assad’s government. Human Rights Watch released the report shortly before the 22-member Arab League met to discuss suspending Syria, providing the League with vital information.
Human Rights Watch documented dozens of incidents in which security forces and government-supported militias attacked overwhelmingly peaceful protesters. The forces fired into neighborhoods with machine guns, then sent in tanks. They cut off communications and restricted food and medicine deliveries. Between April and August, at least 587 civilians in Homs governorate were killed.
On November 2, Syria agreed to a peace deal brokered by the Arab League. But in the next week, Syrian forces killed at least 104 people. On Saturday, the League suspended Syria and on Wednesday it gave Syria three days to stop the violence against protesters.
