The Assad regime has slaughtered thousands of innocent people since the Arab Spring hit the streets of Syria–using weapons provided by Russian arms dealer Rosoboronexport. Here are the numbers:
Human Rights First aims to leverage the full range of U.S. financial and political pressure on enablers of atrocities and to stem the flow of goods and services necessary to perpetrate crimes against humanity.
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More updates on our Syria Page.
March 2012 Data:
- 9,000+ civilian deaths since the start of the uprising, though local groups estimate the number to be closer to 9,700.
- 1,179 civilians have died in Syria since February 2012
- 632 of those who have died since February 2012 were in Homs, Syria’s third largest city
- 31 methods of torture or ill-treatment used by security forces, army and pro-government armed Shabiha gangs.
- 2 vetoes made by Russia and China each to block U.N. Security Council Resolutions condemning the Syrian government’s use of violence.
- $1 billion: Value of a contract the U.S. Department of Defense holds with Rosoboronexport, a known supplier of arms to the Assad regime.
- $1 billion: is also the value of Russian arms sales to Assad’s regime in 2011 alone.
- 37,000 civilians illegally imprisoned according to international legal standards.
- 276 deaths in custody have been reported in the last 12 months of unrest in Syria, those tortured and ill-treated include children under 18.
- 70+ nations pledged humanitarian support to the Syrian opposition and to help end the bloodshed.
- 16,446 Syrian refugees have fled to Turkey according to the Disaster and Emergency Ministry.
- 45+ women and children slain in the assault on Homs on March 11, soon after the U.N. special envoy to Syria met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in an effort to reach an end to the violence.
- 50,000 estimated to make up the armed opposition within Syria—many of them are defectors from the Syria military.
- 4 journalists killed while actively trying to cover the crisis in Syria. Ferzat Jarban, a local cameraman, was tortured and murdered for his coverage of the initial protests. American journalist Marie Colvin and French photographer Rémi Ochlik both sustained injuries and died during the government’s attacks on Homs. Ali Shabaan was killed in Lebanon when the fighting in Syria spilled over the borders in April
- 2 journalists—one British, one French— injured but managed to be evacuated.
- 230,000 people internally displaced due to ongoing violence.
- 12 years: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been in power.
- 20+ bodies reportedly found in mass graves in the town of Dera’a where protests began just two months earlier.
