A man from al Najeyya village in the western suburbs of Idlib governorate, identified as Ghazwan Hallaq, the head of the ‘Free’ Education Directorate’s Primary Education Department in Latakia governorate, which is affiliated with the Syrian Interim Government, was one of the victims of a massacre that took place near al Najeyya village on April 8, when Syrian regime forces, stationed in Shellef Castle in the northern suburbs of Latakia governorate, used an MD guided missile to attack the car he was in along with a number of other civilians, resulting in his death and those of six other civilians, including Ghazwan’s wife, teacher Roula Rustum and his young daughter Rand.
SNHR notes that this attack is a breach of the ceasefire agreement reached following consultations between the Turkish and Russian presidents, which came into effect on March 6, 2020.
Through this action, Syrian regime forces have, without doubt, committed another violation of Security Council resolutions 2139 and 2254 which prohibited any further indiscriminate attacks, as well as violating the rules of international humanitarian law which stress the distinction between civilians and combatants. Attacks of this nature spread terror and panic among civilians, leading them to flee their lands and homes in an attempt to reach safety, and forcibly displacing them, with the number of internally displaced persons within Syria now reaching approximately 6.5 million Syrian citizens in total. The international community should put pressure on the Syrian regime and its allies to force them to compensate the displaced victims, rehabilitate homes and vital centers, support the process of political transition, and press all parties to pursue implementation of political transition according to a strict timetable which must not exceed six months, thus enabling millions of IDPs to return homes.
