Syrian Death Toll Hits 7,500; 64 Killed in Massacre in Homs

UN Under-Secretary-General Lynn Pascoe reported to the UN Security Council today that the death toll in Syria has reached 7,500.  She estimated that around 100 people are being killed every day in Syria as President Bashar al-Assad’s regime intensifies its crackdown on opposition protestors. Disturbing news broke on Monday with the discovery of the bodies of at least 64 men dumped on the outskirts of Homs.  It is the largest mass killing to be committed thus far since protests broke out more than twelve months ago. The men were reportedly fleeing the city with their families when soldiers at a checkpoint ordered them onto four buses. Elderly passengers were eventually allowed off the bus and provided the witness testimony. The whereabouts of the women and children on the buses is still unknown.

Apartment building damaged by government bombardment. Photo: NY Times

Syria’s much beleaguered Arab Spring has dominated international headlines lately as the crackdown on the year-long protests intensifies.  Efforts by the international community to quell Assad’s crackdown have achieved only small successes unequal to the task of preventing further violence. The EU effectively strangled Syria’s economy through an oil boycott, but the UN has been unable to pass similar measures against Assad’s regime in the UN Security Council because of Russian and Chinese vetoes.  Strong allies of the Assad regime, Russia and China most recently blocked a resolution aimed at supporting Arab League demands for President Assad to cede power.

The League of Arab States (LAS) has taken unprecedented measures against its former member state. The Arab League formerly suspended Syria’s membership in November. As part of a peace deal it brokered in December, the Arab League sent more than 60 human rights observers to monitor Syria’s progress in implementing the deal’s conditions.  A month later all of the observers were withdrawn for their own safety as Assad’s regime violated the peace deal with increasing violence. In response, the Arab League called on Assad to step.

The actions of the EU, UN, and League of Arab States, regardless of their effectiveness, are encouraging signs of the normalization of the principle of Responsibility to Protect (I promise I will post on R2P soon).  Still, the violence continues. Government forces continue to bombard civilian areas of protest cities with heavy artillery.  Last week, French photojournalist Remi Ochlik and American war correspondent Marie Colvin were killed in a similar action in Homs. Syria’s government has reportedly used gunships to bomb villages and conducted door-to-door searches to find defected soldiers.  Meanwhile, snipers on city rooftops continue to wreak havoc on protests, shooting unarmed protestors in the street. It is estimated that at least 91 people have been killed today in Syria.