Image shared online shows a crowd attending a match at a basketball court, with the bleachers packed with civilians with no space between them, who also ignored the need to wear facemasks. SNHR managed to identify the image’s date and location, confirming it was taken during a match at al Assad Sport Hall in Aleppo city on December 27, 2020, violating all the precautionary measures introduced to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic among the public.
SNHR notes that the numbers of COVID-19 cases in areas under the Syrian regime’s control are constantly increasing, having already reached 11,033 cases, including 678 deaths, according to the latest statement from the Syrian Ministry of Health, issued on December 27, 2020. Despite this, however, the Syrian regime has taken no real action to stop overcrowding among citizens who have no choice but to gather in large numbers to obtain essential items such as bread and gas and to collect their salaries; this negligence on the regime’s part is a blatant violation of the precautionary measures introduced to prevent the transmission or spread of disease. The SNHR notes that this is further confirmation that a regime which is already responsible for killing hundreds of thousands of Syrians and displacing 12 million more as refugees and IDPs will not care for its people.
The Syrian regime has failed to stop the spread of COVID-19 pandemic among Syrian citizens, neglecting to implement the precautionary measures stipulated by the World Health Organization.
