|
|
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19084287
Syria conflict: Aleppo shootings by rebels condemned
1 August 2012 Last updated at 12:26 ET
Amateur video shows rebels preparing to kill alleged Assad loyalists
Continue reading the main story
Human rights activists have condemned the public shooting in Syria of four apparent Assad loyalists by rebels in the battleground city of Aleppo.
A video appeared showing the men being put up against a wall after which they are killed in a hail of bullets by fighters wielding Kalashnikovs.
One victim was identified as the head of a clan linked to a feared militia.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said the nation's fate is being decided by the fight against the rebels.
The head of the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which documents violence by all sides in the conflict, condemned the killings by the rebels as "criminal".
Government forces have been battling to oust Free Syria Army (FSA) rebels from Aleppo, the country's second and biggest city, since they launched an assault last month.
The rebels appear to control large parts of the city despite government assertions that they have suffered heavy losses and are being mopped up by security forces.
Pile of bodies
The shootings seem to have taken place on Tuesday, in what looks like a schoolyard.
In a video which appeared on YouTube, gunmen can be seen leading a number of men in their underwear, some of them bruised or bloodied, into the yard, which is crowded with men shouting religious slogans.
After the half-naked men are put up against a wall, the camera moves back behind the crowd, losing sight of them.
Heavy, sustained gunfire from Kalashnikov assault rifles erupts, after which the camera shows a pile of bodies by the wall.
One of the men killed has been identified as the head of the Berri clan, which has links to the militia known as shabiha.
A BBC Arabic journalist says the shootings were in retaliation for a specific incident earlier on Tuesday when 15 people from the FSA were killed by Berri shabiha, at a time when a temporary truce was supposed to be in force in that part of Aleppo.
Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said of the footage: "This is criminal. This is revenge."
Amnesty report
Mr Assad has not spoken in public for two weeks. On Wednesday, he issued a written statement marking armed forces day.
He praised soldiers for confronting "armed terrorist gangs", saying: "The fate of our people and our nation, past, present and future, depends on this battle."
Amnesty International says that government forces committed crimes against humanity this month in Aleppo.
In the report, based on research carried out in May, the rights group appealed to the UN Security Council to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court and impose an arms embargo on the country.
Amnesty accuses security forces and the shabiha of firing on peaceful protesters and bystanders, including children.
It also says medical teams were targeted and those arrested were often tortured.
Activists estimate some 20,000 people have died since March last year.
|
|
Do or do not... there is no try.
Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering
Yesterday is History, Tomorrow a Mystery, Today is a Gift, That's why it's called the Present.
|
狗仔卡
提升卡
置頂卡
沉默卡
喧囂卡
變色卡
搶沙發
