The top photo, taken on February 22, 2021, shows that even the cladding materials of Jum’ah Hajj Hussein School in Saraqeb city in the eastern suburbs of Idlib governorate, have been looted. This looting took place after Syrian regime forces seized control over the city on March 5, 2020. Local activists told SNHR that the Syrian regime had looted all the contents of buildings in areas of Idlib in northwest Syria that were brought under their control since the start of 2020.
We confirm that this looting is a systematic policy adopted by Syrian regime forces and their loyalist militias which is used in all areas where these forces seize control, according to which the Syrian regime bombs buildings, then displaces residents before ransacking and looting their homes and all other buildings in a brutal, multifaceted strategy. SNHR has been working for several months on monitoring this systematic phenomenon seen in several regions of the Syrian governorates.
The top photo also shows that personnel of Syrian regime forces and Russian forces are stationed in the school.
Photo source:
The top photo shared online via pro-Syrian regime social media on February 22, 2021, shows the Tarnaba humanitarian crossing near Saraqeb city which regime accounts claim is being used to receive families wishing to return from areas controlled by the Armed Opposition in preparation for returning to their towns and villages now controlled by Syrian regime forces. Meanwhile, the bottom photo is a screen capture from a video produced for an awareness-raising campaign held at the school on December 29, 2017.
