Syrians tell of executions by men in military clothes
Houla residents say women, kids were slaughtered
Survivors of a massacre in the town of Houla describe close-range killings; U.N. human rights body to hold special session on allegations.
BEIRUT — Survivors of a massacre in a Syrian town described the horror of the killings to activists Wednesday as the United Nations’ top human rights body announced it will hold a special session on the allegations.
Pro-government forces battling a rebellion are accused of killing more than 100 people, including women and children, in the town of Houla.
The killings prompted several nations, including the United States, to expel Syrian diplomats, and the U.N. Human Rights Council plans a special session to address the massacre Friday.
Armed men in military clothes attacked homes and executed entire families, survivors told Human Rights Watch.
Many were killed at close range with guns or knives, the group was told in telephone conversations with Houla residents.
“This particular incident is certainly the largest in terms of numbers of victims, but Human Rights Watch has recorded dozens of other similar incidents,” said Nadim Houry, director of Human Rights Watch’s Beirut office.
Thirteen bound corpses were found in Deir el-Zour province, according to a statement from the U.N. mission.
Western nations have opted for sanctions to pressure Syrian President Bashar Assad into ending his military campaign against the rebellion. The U.N. Security Council has passed a measure condemning the killing, but that is not enough, Houry said.
“The U.N. should forcibly push for an inquiry to investigate the killing,” Houry said. “It is also the responsibility of Russia. Condemnation of such incidents alone is not enough.”
Russia has supported Syria with arms, according to the State Department.
Houry said all of the witnesses stated that the armed men who attacked them were pro-government, but they did not know whether they were members of the Syrian army or
shabiha – literally, “ghost militants.” An elderly woman identified as being from the Abdel Razzak family told Human Rights Watch investigators that she was in her house with three grandsons, three granddaughters, a sister-in-law, a daughter, a daughter in-law and a cousin when she heard shots.
The woman said she hid behind a door when two gunmen entered the home.
She heard shots and screams and when she emerged, “I looked outside the room and saw all of my family members shot. They were shot in their bodies and their heads. I was terrified to approach to see if they were alive.”
A 10-year-old boy, whose identity was withheld by Human Rights Watch for his own protection, told investigators he saw a man in military clothes grab his 13-year-old friend, Shafiq, on the street and shoot him in the head.
Shafiq’s mother and sister went outside, shouting and crying. The same man shot at both of them more than once, the boy said.