he was a delightful man!
<<i don`t know much aqbout him>>
The Massacre of Hama (1982) ... Law application requires accountability
SHRC
The 2nd of February 1999 dates the seventeenth anniversary of the massacre of Hama. Thousands of the town’s people were killed during the biggest military campaign initiated by the Syrian government against the armed opposition.
Although seventeen years have elapsed since the massacre perpetrated on Hama- a town lay in the heart of Syria with population amounts to 350000 inhabitants- it is still considered the most ruthless campaign, during which the government of president Asad employed the regular army, forces especially trained and units of secret security services to crush and root out the Syrian opposition.
For 27 days starting from February 2nd 1982, the Syrian forces put Hama under a siege, shelled the town with all kinds of artillery, then Hama was ravaged by military and special forces, and its civilians were severely punished. The estimated victims range between 30000 and 40000 civilians including ladies, children and elderlies. 15000 civilians were considered lost since then and had never traced back. Thousands of civilians were obliged to desert the town, as one third of Hama had been completely destroyed. Many mosques, churches and historical buildings were left in rubbles as a consequence to the government’s artillery bombardment.
Foreign press reports said that the Syrian government had given the military forces full authority to finish the opposition and to punish all sympathisers. To avoid any popular protests or world condemnation, hushing up on Hama was imposed, all transport and communication links with the town were suspended. An embargo to the entry and parting was imposed on the town. During that period, Hama was a target to military operations on a large scale. Units of the army, special forces, defence brigades, military intelligence, general intelligence and militia of the ruling Ba’ath party took part in the operations against Hama. The campaign was led by the president’s younger brother brigadier Rifa’at Asad who was appointed two months earlier the martial ruler of the northern and middle districts of the country. An estimated number of 12000 especially trained soldiers were put under his authorities.
Hama uprising marked a clear change of the Syrian government policy in favour of employing the armed forces to repress the political violence flared out between 1979 and 1982. Hama’s civilians were the worst victim of the massacre. As a consequence to this quench, Syria has never witnessed any more protest against the policies of the Syrian government, which were widely disputable before.
The Syrian authorities, instead of taking the necessary measurement to reduce the consequences of the massacre and to make an inquest in the crimes committed against many civilians and families, they rewarded the officers involved in the acts of killing and repression. Rifa’at Asad was appointed as vice-president for national security, other officers were granted higher ranks, and Hama’s governor Mohammed Harba was appointed as the minister of the interior. Such measurements confirmed the government’s reckless attitude towards the civilians and its commitment to the policy of "strong hand" , instead of "dialogue" in dealing with domestic affairs.
The authorities whose duty to protect civilians at crisis periods, had shown sheer negligence to shoulder their responsibilities. Even worse, some of them were deeply involved in the massacre. Therefore, International law and human rights are required to open a wide inquest on the events of Hama seventeen years ago and to determine the criminal responsibility of the massacre as an act of genocide forbidden and punished for by international law.
As a Consequence, the Syrian Human Rights Committee reassures the following points:
1- The Syrian Human Rights Committee calls on the government of Hafez Asad to release all civilians detained during the crisis, to disclose all information available about the lost ones, to allow the town’s civilians living in exile to go back home, and to compensate all families who lost some of their members or for the loss of their properties.
2- The Syrian Human Rights Committee calls to form a committee from representatives of human rights organisations , UN committee of human rights , International court of war crimes, International court of Justice to start an inquest to determine the persons responsible for this massacre and the nature of the authorities who issued orders to use the excessive bloody force against civilians.
3- To consider all military officials and politicians involved in the massacre, in particular the campaign mastermind Brigadier Rifa’at Asad as "war criminals" for their responsibilities of genocide acts, to confiscate their properties in the country and abroad, and to take legal measurements to bring them before the "International court of war crimes" .
4- To declare the 2nd of February a "remembrance day" of pain and suffering in Syria, and to neutralise the army from being involved in internal disputes, and to strive to stop murdering children, ladies and civilians for political purposes.
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