91 percent of civilian deaths caused by Syrian regime and Russian forces: rights group

Bashar al-Assad’s regime and its backers are responsible for 91 percent of deaths since the start of Syria’s civil war in 2011, according to data by the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR). 

228,893 civilians were killed in the Syrian civil war from March 2011 till June 2022, according to SNHR’s statistics. Out of these, 200,391 were killed by the Syrian regime and Iranian militias, and a further 6,928 were killed by Russian forces.

Chart of civilian victims killed in #Syria from March 2011 to June 2022. 91% of the victims were killed at the hands of the Syrian-Russian alliance. This slaughter is a crime against humanity, and the #SyrianRegime must be held accountable for all his crimes.#SNHR pic.twitter.com/Ec3eQveRKB

— Syrian Network (@snhr) June 18, 2022

The Islamic State, the US-led coalition, the armed opposition to the Assad regime, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and other militia groups are responsible for the rest of the deaths. 

“This slaughter is a crime against humanity, and the Syrian regime must be held accountable for all its crimes,” the organisation tweeted. 

The SNHR also added that 29,791 children were killed in the war, of which 84 percent were killed by the Syrian regime and its Russian backers. 

Chart of the death toll of children killed in #Syria from Mar 2011 to Jun 2022. 84% of all child victims were killed by the Syrian-Russian alliance. According to #SNHR, 12% of the total death toll of civilians killed at the hands of the Syrian-Russian alliance are #Children. pic.twitter.com/TVFc5ie0uz

— Syrian Network (@snhr) June 18, 2022

“I want to emphasise a large percentage of these killings took place deliberately,” Fadel Abdul Ghany, the Chairman and founder of the Syrian Network for Human Rights told The New Arab. 

“This was not just random shelling. We have been monitoring Syria for 12 years, day by day, [and we know this] because there is repeated shelling against specific civilian areas,” he added. 

“There were deliberate attacks that took place from Russia and the Syrian regime.” 

Ghany blamed airstrikes for a large number of these deaths.

“The air force [is responsible for] approximately 70 percent of these deaths. Missiles, barrel bombs, lead to massive destruction and lead to massive casualties. And only two parties have an air force - the Syrian regime and the Russians. Also the US-led coalition, but they only operate in very specific areas.” 

He also added that most Syrians would not be surprised by these findings, and appreciate the transparency of research by the Syrian Network for Human Rights.  

“I think these statistics make sense to the Syrian people,” he said. “They know very well who have shielded them and who have committed the crimes.”