Urgent call by Homs coordination committees and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights – World Service Homs 5 – Nov – 2011

Article  •  Publié sur Souria Houria le 8 novembre 2011

Urgent call by Homs coordination committees and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights – World Service

Homs 5 – Nov – 2011

 

Homs province: A disaster area and a disaster strickencity:

 

On the 18th of March, chanting originated in the courtyard of the Khalid bin Waleed Mosque; the chants glorified freedom and were in solidarity with Daraa; its detained children and its foremost martyrs. Since then the flame of revolution did not wane in Homs, the city of 2,000,000 residents.Nor, for eight month, did the regime’s retaliation stop; with its machine for killing, torture and aggravations.

 

More than 1,400 martyrs, 4,000 prisoners who are right now under lawless and arbitrary detention, 100s missing, and 100s of families displaced, and dozens of houses destroyed. This is the initial outcome of the regime’s reaction to the steadfastness of the people of Homs confronting the regime with demands for freedom.

 

Since the massacre on the 19th of April, the army entered Homs’s cities and towns, and had not left since. With the exception of some areas that are pro-regime, all the cities, towns, and neighborhoods of Homs, have been exposed to attacks, incursions, and massacres, including the cities of Rastan, Talbiseh, Hawla, Palmyra, and the neighborhoods of Bab Sbaa, Bab Dreib, Bab Tadmur, Bab Hood, Bayada, Khaldieh, Deir Balba, Ghouta, Inshaat, Hamra, Qusour, Qarabis, Jourat Al-Shayyah, Shammas, and other rebellious area in Homs.

 

Still, what is taking place, for about a week now, in the neighborhood of Baba Amr, exceeds all the crimes of the times, in cruelty and savagery. Baba Amr, a neighborhood in the southeastern part of Homs city, had scarified the largest number of martyrs in Homs until today. In the last week alone 40 of its free people fell martyrs. The residents of the neighborhood suffered incessant shelling with rockets, artillery, cannons, various types of machine guns, and heavy anti-aircraft, resulting in the destruction of dozens of homes, all the while, the neighborhood is under asuffocating siege by security and army forces; in which security forces prevented ambulance crews from evacuating the wounded and providing treatment to them. Food, including bread, and medical supplies vanished. Communications, electricity, drinking water, heating fuel are all cut off.Also 100s of families fled and were displaced to face homelessness in the harsh winter; after the army, security forces, and Shabiha (regime-sponsored gangs) turned to the method of using children and civilians as human shields in the regime’s hunt down of the defectedelement [defected from the regime’s service] joining the Free SyrianArmy.

 

The coordination committees in Homs; those of whom joined the local coordination committees of Syria, with sorrow and sadness announce the province of Homs a disaster area, and appeals to all those responsible forprolonging the suffering of the Syrian people, and especially the people of Homs, to act quickly and to provide support and aid.

 

Homs 5 – Nov – 2011

Homs coordination committees

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights – World Service