“Bashar al-Assad’s regime and its backers are responsible for 91 percent of deaths since the start of Syria’s civil war in 2011, according to data by the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR).
I want to emphasise a large percentage of these killings took place deliberately, Fadel Abdul Ghany, the Chairman and founder of the Syrian Network for Human Rights told The New Arab.
“This was not just random shelling. We have been monitoring Syria for 12 years, day by day, [and we know this] because there is repeated shelling against specific civilian areas,” he added.
“There were deliberate attacks that took place from Russia and the Syrian regime.”
Ghany blamed airstrikes for a large number of these deaths.
“The air force [is responsible for] approximately 70 percent of these deaths. Missiles, barrel bombs, lead to massive destruction and lead to massive casualties. And only two parties have an air force – the Syrian regime and the Russians. Also the US-led coalition, but they only operate in very specific areas.”
He also added that most Syrians would not be surprised by these findings, and appreciate the transparency of research by the Syrian Network for Human Rights.
I think these statistics make sense to the Syrian people,” he said. “They know very well who have shielded them and who have committed the crimes.”
