Syrians Faced with Increased Human Rights Violations after 11 Years of War
25-09-2022
Annachiara Canetta
Middle East and Human Rights Researcher
Global Human Rights Defence
On September 14th, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic published a report covering recent developments regarding human rights violations in Syria. The report observed the risk of a new escalation of large-scale fighting and described the current situation as the worst economic and humanitarian situation since the start of the conflict. [1]
Different actors are considered responsible for the violations: in government-controlled areas, “arbitrary detention, including torture and ill-treatment in incommunicado detention” have been recorded. [2] Turkish military forces incursion in Syrian territory (Operation Peace Spring and Operation Euphrates Shield) also contributed to increased insecurity and civilian casualties. [3] Moreover, living conditions in refugee camps in the North-east of the country (controlled by the Syrian National Army) remain unbearable, with “reasonable grounds to believe that the conditions in […] camps may amount to cruel or inhuman treatment”. [4] It has also been reported that in the same area, formerly controlled by Kurdish People’s Protection Units, Kurdish civilians are being victimized, particularly activist women. [5]
As Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, chair of the UN’s Syria commission, stated during a press conference in Geneva last week: “Syria cannot afford a return to larger-scale fighting, but that is where it may be heading” [6]: a restart of widespread violence, combined with the recent cholera outbreak [7], would have disastrous consequences on the country.
Sources and Further Reading
[1] Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic. (2022,
September 14). Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian
Arab Republic (A/HRC/51/45). United Nations Human Rights Council.
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G22/463/09/PDF/G2246309.pdf?OpenElement
[2] ibid.
[3] ibid.
[4] ibid.
[5] ibid.
[6] Al Jazeera. (2022, September 14). Syria could return ‘to larger-scale fighting’, UN warns.
Syria’s War News | Al Jazeera.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/9/14/syria-headed-to-to-larger-scale-fighting-un-warn
[7] Husain, A. (2022, September 16). Cholera outbreak in Syria poses further risk to the
displaced population. CARE. Retrieved September 21, 2022, from