C Block Ballinger June 8th 2012

Since April 2011, there have been mass protests against the Syrian Government. Many people believe that the Syrian government has violated human rights by imprisoning, torturing, and even killing peaceful protesters and innocent civilians. In fact, it is estimated that approximately 11,000 people have died in this revolution (Time to Get Together, Economist). This revolution is part of the Arab Spring; an international movement determined to bring democracy and human rights to governments in Arab countries. The Syrian Government should be referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC) because, as defined by the fourth Geneva Convention, extensive destruction not justified by military necessity, torture or inhuman treatment, and unlawful confinement are all considered to be war crimes (Article 147, Geneva Convention). The Syrian government has, without any military necessity, destroyed homes and killed civilians. For example, highly populated cities have been bombarded on a regular basis by highly destructive shells. Marie Colvin, a journalist who unfortunately died in the shelling, said that, On a good day, a shell would hit the neighborhood every four to five minutes, while on a bad day; they hear fifty five shells in 15 minutes. Syrian security forces and members of the Syrian army have been openly killing people in cold blood. According to the Human Rights watch (HRW), killing injured, surrendered, or captured soldiers is a war crime. An anonymous opposition fighter from Idlib interviewed by HRW remembers the killing one of his fellow soldiers, One of the fighters was injured in his right leg by machine gun fire. Then a tank approached, around 15 soldiers with military uniforms surrounded our comrade and started insulting him and kicking him. They were shouting to us that we should surrender or they would kill him. Then they put a black cloth around his eyes, handcuffed him, and one of them shot him dead When they left, we buried him in the graveyard in the village. The Syrian people did not begin with violence, as the uprising began with peaceful protests. Despite the peoples nonviolent movement, the government, perhaps out of fear, started one of the most violent and bloody crackdowns of the Arab Spring. During the first few days alone, 10 people were killed (Arab Awakening, Economist).Equally important to the violent killing of Syrian civilians, Syrian government officials have been reported to have tortured Syrian civilians. In addition government forces have tortured those they have not killed. For example, Syrian army members have forced civilians to march in front of them, using them as human shields. This horrendous mistreatment, as described by HRW, must be condemned. A prisoner in an air force base near Deraa told Amnesty International about his experience with a government interrogator: During interrogation I was blindfolded, cuffed behind my back, forced to kneel. Are you Muslim? Yes. Do you kneel before Allah? Yes. Now you will kneel to Bashar. I pray to Allah, I said, so they beat me badly These tortured victims have done nothing wrong and do not deserve to be treated in such a inhumane manner. In addition, witnesses also reported that civilians have been sexually abused. The Syrian army has committed one of the worst and oldest war crimes possible. Unfortunately, witnesses interviewed by HRW reported that soldiers have raped people living in Idlib and Homs. The Syrian army has not only abused people physically and sexually, but mentally as well. Human rights watch describes that people have been stabbed to death while their families are forced to watch. Taken together, the Syrian government has tortured numerous

protestors, activists, and innocent civilians. The UNDHR or United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, clearly states that, No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Therefore, the torture of civilians is both a violation of human rights and a war crime. These torture victims do not only suffer torture but, horrible conditions in detainment centers around Syria. Moreover, thousands of civilians have been detained without reason and without a fair trial. Syrian security forces are imprisoning thousands who they like to call terrorists. Bashar al-Assad and the government of Syria seem to be somewhat paranoid that they will be forced to step down similar to the uprising in Egypt. Security forces are arresting people simply because they oppose the regime or live in a rebel city, such as Homs. As it is almost impossible to gain access to Syria or get information about the situation there, little is known about things like detainment which are mostly kept secret. However, what is known is not pleasant. It is estimated that thousands of people are kept in the worst conditions throughout detainment centers throughout Syria. Al-Shami recalls his time in detainment: I was taken to State Security 285 I was put into shared cell, 70 of us in a standard sized living room. Sixty of us would lie on our sides like sardines and 10 would stand (Wanted to Die, Amnesty). Another anonymous victim told Amnesty International that, When there was wind, we used to smell the odor of corpses which were buried in a collective graveyard just 200 meters to the north of the prison. These victims are only two of thousands of other detainees who have been or are in similar or worse situations. Most of these prisoners are held incommunicado and it is almost certain that all of them have not been given a fair trial. No one should ever be subject to this horrific treatment. Based upon the atrocities in Syria, it is clear that the Syrian government has violated human rights and committed war crimes. Syria is a part of a larger movement called the Arab Spring, which is a mass revolution for democracy and human rights in Arab nations. Peaceful protests can improve quality of life and return human rights to citizens by changing the government. Unfortunately, the Syrian government has attacked its own citizens and now international intervention is needed. Importantly, the increasing death toll in Syria shows that the issue urgently needs to be resolved.