English : Syrian Defectors Tell their Stories - Bianet

English :: Syrian Defectors Tell their Stories - Bianet

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HRW SYRIA REPORT
Syrian Defectors Tell their Stories

Defectors from the Syrian military and intelligence agencies told their stories in interviews with Human Rights Watch.
Cairo - BİA News Center
16 December 2011, Friday

The 88-page report of Human Rights Watch (HRW), "'By All Means Necessary!': Individual and Command Responsibility for Crimes against Humanity in Syria" is based on more than 60 interviews with defectors from the Syrian military and intelligence agencies. The defectors provided detailed information about their units' participation in attacks, abuses against Syrian citizens, and the orders they received from commanders and officials at various levels, who are named in the report.

"Mansour," a member of Air Force Intelligence in Daraa, said that in April the commander in charge of Air Force Intelligence in Daraa, Colonel Qusay Mihoub, gave his unit orders to "stop the protesters by all possible means," which included the use of lethal force:

"Our orders were to make the demonstrators retreat by all possible means, including by shooting at them. It was a broad order that shooting was allowed. When officers were present, they would decide when and whom to shoot. If somebody carried a microphone or a sign, or if demonstrators refused to retreat, we would shoot. We were ordered to fire directly at protesters many times. We had Kalashnikovs and machine guns, and there were snipers on the roofs".

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