Human Rights Watch is accusing rebels in Syria of killing at least 190 civilians during a coordinated attack in a rural area this summer. In a new report, the group says the abuses by anti-government forces likely amount to war crimes. Syria researcher Lama Fakih unveiled the findings.
Lama Fakih: “In our latest report, 'You Can Still See Their Blood,' Human Rights Watch has documented that in an opposition offensive which began on August 4 in Latakia countryside, that armed opposition groups entered into a series of Alawite villages, and in the course of one day, we believe that they executed or killed civilians that were fleeing, in addition to holding 200, at least 200, civilians hostage.”
Human Rights Watch is calling on the U.N. Security Council to refer the conflict in Syria to the International Criminal Court and to impose an arms embargo on any groups on both sides of the conflict found to have engaged in widespread or systematic abuses.