ICC Note: An in-depth study by Human Rights Watch highlights the abuse and brutal actions taken against civilians in the largely Christian village of Sadad in late October. There were more than 40 civilians confirmed dead in the village. There are also documented destruction of churches and other property. The city was the site of clashes between government forces and rebel forces, but the abuses documented in this report, that amount to war crimes were carried out by the various rebel factions and Islamist terrorist groups that make up a large portion of the rebel forces.
11/19/2013 Syria (MidEast Christian News) – Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Syrian rebel forces committed war crimes, including the killing of civilians and the targeting of churches, during their attack on the Christian village of Sadad in late October.
According to the testimonies of villagers, the rebel fighters refused to allow them to leave their homes in areas with active fighting, and others said that the fighters used civilians as human shields.
Residents confirmed that opposition fighters also stole the possessions of some residents, and looted and vandalized property in at least three local historical churches.
“Opposition fighters came into Sadad claiming they would not harm civilians, but they did just that,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at HRW. “There is no excuse for indiscriminate or targeted attacks against civilians or civilian sites.”
Opposition fighters should never execute or directly target civilians or anyone in their custody or target civilian sites, including religious sites, HRW said.
HRW identified the names of 46 people from Sadad killed in the village during the weeklong operation. Residents told HRW that 41 of the dead were civilians, including 14 women and two children.
HRW urged the UN Security Council to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC). An ICC referral would be a crucial first step toward achieving justice for victims of atrocities by all sides in Syria’s armed conflict and would send a strong message that serious crimes will not be tolerated.
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