Thursday 12 July 2012

Demonstration against today's massacre

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: Demonstrations began after midnight on Thursday in a number of Syrian cities and towns to condemn the massacre carried out by the regular forces and gunmen in the town of Hama al-Treimseh

Hama province: [UK - 11.20pm ] The number of people killed by the regime bombardment, and military operations, on the town of al-Treimseh, Reef Hama, has risen to 17. This is the number that the SOHR has been able to fully document. There are many injured in the town, some are in a critical condition.

Update from the province of Hama: [UK - 1.30pm]The town of al-Treimseh is being violently bombarded by Syrian forces, using helicopters and tanks in the attack in an attempt to regain control of the town. 6 people have been so far killed by the shelling, the dead include a defected officer. Many more have been reported wounded, some are in a critical condition.

Several members of the Syrian armed forces were killed, more injured, when rebel fighters attacked a security checkpoint in the al-Jamla village.

The town of Kernaz is being bombarded by regime forces. the town of al-Latamneh has been bombarded by Syrian forces.

Syrian forces went on a raid and detention campaign, for the second day running, on the town of Kafarlatoun.

English Speakers to Help The Syrian Revolution: URGENT: Rural Hama massacre: AlTreimseh: 220 confirmed martyrs. 150 in the mosque, 70 on the streets, there are many bodies that were thrown into the A’asi river, which could drastically raise the number of martyrs in this massacre. some of the bodies of the women and children, and most of the victims were killed with blades.
The bodies of three families that had come to this town to escape their own town, Ma’arzaf, were found burned. The massacre began at 5 am when the bombardment and shelling began, when that part was over, the army raided the houses and burned them with the people still inside, and the ones that were able to escape the houses were slaughtered with knives.

One of my friends in the suburbs spoke to his partner in Treimseh and he confirmed that until now they are finding dead bodies from the farm land and the homes, and there are many bodies that were thrown into the river.

Shelling at the village 13.7.2012: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOG2NW36sa4

Syria Dictator Assad Bombs Talbeseh 12-July-12 Homs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dO8LqvoTC5A
 …
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: Lebanon’s High Relief Council, and the Lebanese Red Cross, refuse to assist wounded Syrians in Lebanon

Reports from Lebanon inform us that the High Relief Council (HRC), a government body, has been refusing to assist wounded Syrians fleeing from the brutality of the Syrian regime. The reports from the ground indicate that the HRC has been refusing Syrians treatment since Tuesday, 10/7/2012. The Syrian Refugee Coordination Committee in Lebanon informs us that wounded Syrians are denied treatment in government hospitals because the HRC is refusing to cover the costs of ambulances, medical attention, urgent operations and treatment. The Lebanese Red Cross has also refused assisting in the costs of transporting wounded Syrian refugees stranded by the border. These reports are extremely worrying, they indicate that the wounded are not being treated on the basis of easing human suffering, rather, their wounds are being politicised. The Union of Syrian Medical Relief Organizations fear that these are signs of a systematic policy implemented by the Lebanese government. If this is correct, it would be a screaming injustice against the rights of refugees in Lebanon, especially those that are in urgent need of medical assistance. This policy could mean the death of many Syrians.

We at the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights hold the Lebanese government fully responsible for the safety and wellbeing of all Syrian refugees in its territories. We strongly urge the UN High Commission for Refugees, and all international medical, and refugee, associations to investigate this issue and to do whatever is necessary to prevent such human rights abuses. They must guarantee that Syrian refugees will not be treated inhumanely, especially the ill and wounded, who are particularly vulnerable.
…
NOW! Lebanon
[local time]  22:26 Syrian forces on Thursday killed 8 anti-regime protesters in the Baraza neighborhood of Damascus, Al-Arabiya television quoted the local Coordination Committees as saying.
 21:49 Clashes broke out Thursday between Syrian regime forces and rebels in Damascus, Al-Arabiya television quoted the Syrian Media Center as saying.
 21:07 An international media watchdog called on Syria Thursday to release all detained journalists, and condemned the killing of citizen journalists in the strife-torn country.
 20:41 Thursday’s death toll in Syria has risen to 80 people, Al-Jazeera television quoted the Syrian Network for Human Rights as saying.
 19:58 The defection of a senior Syrian diplomat to the rebellion against Bashar al-Assad was a sign that the strongman’s regime is weakening, the White House declared on Thursday.
 19:03 The head of the Palestine Liberation Army (PLA) in Syria condemned on Thursday the kidnapping and killing of 17 of his troops by “armed terrorist groups,” state news agency SANA reported.
 18:32 Nawaf Fares, the first Syrian envoy to defect to the opposition, was widely seen as a Baath Party regime hardliner and his decision to break ranks has triggered suspicion among activists.
 18:09 The major powers started talks Thursday on a UN Security Council resolution on Syria with Russia declaring a “red line” against sanctions.
 17:57 Russia rejects as unacceptable the text of a Western-backed UN Security Council resolution on Syria and will use its veto if the draft is brought to a vote later Thursday, a Russian Deputy Foreign Minister said.
 17:05 A US State Department official will arrive in Jordan this week to meet with Syrians who have fled the violence in their country, Washington’s embassy said on Thursday.
 16:49 An AFP feature story details how a medic in Syria’s Qusayr faces life-and-death decisions as he struggles to save residents in the shelled city.
 16:22 A top Syrian military official who defected last week, General Manaf Tlass, has been in contact with the country’s opposition, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Thursday.
 16:15 Syrian regime forces and rebels are clashing in the As-Sayyeda Zeinab area of Damascus, Al-Jazeera quoted activists as saying.
 16:09 The Syrian army is shelling the Damascus area of Kfar Soussa, Al-Jazeera television quoted activists as saying.
 14:54 The Russian naval base at the Syrian port of Tartus, its only such facility outside the ex-USSR, is a symbol of Moscow’s lingering influence in the Middle East even if its military significance is small.
 14:28 Syrian regime forces on Thursday violently shelled the village of Treimsa in the central province of Hama, monitors and activists said, while 38 people were killed across the strife-torn country.
 14:07 The death toll in Syria reached 68 people on Thursday, Al-Arabiya quoted activists as saying.
 14:01 Syrian Ambassador to Iraq Nawaf Fares, who announced his defection to the opposition, is now in Qatar, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said on Thursday.
 13:56 Israeli aid groups are working with Western organizations to provide humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees in Turkey and Jordan, Israeli MP Ayoob Kara told AFP on Thursday.
 13:20 The death toll of the Syrian security forces’ shelling of Hama and Edleb increased to 38 people, Al-Arabiya quoted activists as saying.
 13:13 Syrian forces shelled the Kfar Sousa neighborhood of Damascus, Al-Jazeera quoted activists as saying on Thursday.
 12:18 Human Right Watch on Thursday said Syrian regime forces appear to be using Soviet-made cluster bombs against rebel hideouts in a mountainous region of Hama province.
 12:02 Syria’s ambassador to Iraq, Nawaf Fares, who announced his defection to the opposition, has been “discharged,” the Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.
 9:21 Syria’s ambassador to Iraq Nawaf Fares has defected to the opposition and urged the army to turn its guns on the regime, becoming the most senior diplomat to abandon President Bashar al-Assad.
 9:07 MORNING LEADER: Pressure mounted on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday as Western powers drew up a UN Security Council resolution that, if approved, would give Syria 10 days to end its offensive on cities or face non-military sanctions. Meanwhile in Baghdad, Assad’s ambassador to Iraq joined a small but growing list of officials that have defected to the opposition.
 8:37 Western nations want a 10-day deadline set for Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad to halt the use of heavy weapons or face sanctions, according to a draft resolution sent to UN Security Council members on Wednesday.
 7:54 Syria’s two main Kurdish opposition blocs said on Wednesday they would unite under one banner against embattled President Bashar al-Assad, following talks in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.
 7:49 Western nations on the UN Security Council on Wednesday proposed a resolution demanding sanctions against Syria over the worsening conflict, envoys said.
…

BBC: ‘Mass killing’ in Syria village

More than 100 people have been killed by the Syrian army in the village of Tremseh, opposition activists say.

Opposition activists quoted residents as saying the village was attacked with helicopter gunships and tanks.

Pro-government Shabiha militia later went in on foot and carried out execution-style killings, they said.

According to the opposition Local Coordination Committees, at least 189 people were killed on Thursday in Syria, including 22 in Homs.

The Revolution Leadership Council of Hama told the Reuters news agency that most of the dead in Tremseh were civilians.

Other uncomfirmed reports suggested government troops had been trying to take back the village from opposition hands.

…

Guardian: Syrian opposition activists: more than 250 dead in Hama village massacre