100 academics call for increased Russian sanctions over Aleppo

A large group of academics from across Europe will submit a petition to the European Parliament, calling for economic sanctions to end Russia's 'criminality' in Syria.

MENA

2 min read

Robert Cusack

04 October, 2016

There are an estimated 100,000 children trapped in the Syrian city of Aleppo [AFP]

Over one hundred academics have signed a petition in response to the ongoing siege in Syria's Aleppo, calling for European sanctions against Russia.

The petition, Stop the Slaughter in Aleppo, was launched on Monday by a group of five international law experts from the University of Amsterdam, with the intention of submitting it to the European Parliament by the end of the week.

"The conflict in Aleppo is so preventable and we felt that we had to acknowledge that the war may continue a lot longer than we thought," Dr Saskia Baas at the University of Amsterdam told The New Arab.

"This level of criminality cannot continue. We're hoping that EU parliamentarians will answer our call and take action."

The petition calls for action against the 'unprecedented carnage' in Aleppo with its 'deliberate ... attacks on the civilian population'.

The petition reads: "The failure, thus far, of world leaders to develop diplomatic solutions under the current conditions warrants the introduction of economic sanctions as a means of forcing change."

There are already a number of economic sanctions upheld against Russia following its involvement in the Ukraine conflict, however the petition's authors want to see these extended.

"We call for sanctions to be specifically targeted at individuals and entities that are implicated in the crimes committed against Syrian civilians," they said.