On Saturday, January 10th, a drone, reportedly launched by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), hit the Aleppo Governorate Building during an official press conference attended by the Governor of Aleppo, Azzam al-Gharib, the Minister of Information, Hamza al-Mustafa, and the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, Hind Qabawat, as well as several journalists and representatives of local and international media outlets.
The Aleppo Governorate Building constitutes a purely civilian object. Its nature and function does not qualify as a military objective. Additionally, there has been no indication that the Building was being used for any military purpose at the time of the attack.
Accordingly, the targeting of the Governorate Building amounts to a direct attack on a civilian object protected under international humanitarian law, in clear violation of the principle of distinction and the categorical prohibition of attacks against civilian objects.
The timing of the strike, while journalists and media workers were present inside the building, further heightens the gravity of the violation, as it deliberately expose protected civilians to serious and foreseeable harm while they were carrying out legitimate professional activities.
Therefore, the attack constitutes an unlawful act and may rise to the level of a war crime, giving rise to individual and command criminal responsibility for those who ordered, executed, or otherwise contributed to the attack, in accordance with established principles of international criminal law.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) unequivocally condemns this attack and calls for the immediate protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, as well as for full respect for the rules and principles of international humanitarian law.
