Further clashes seen in Syria

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Local people in Homs challenge the Arab League delegation in Homs by showing them a dead child from the recent attacks on their homes. They challenged them at their car when trying to tell their story. Sky News has a report and footage on this today. Further attacks were seen in Daara with tear gasing of protestors that could have resulted in some 8 deaths although not confirmed where in Syria this occured.

NEWS UPDATE** 2pm GMT SYRIA
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UPDATE 28th December 2011 42 estimated to be killed in Syria yesterday. Night rally outside Baathist party in Damascus last night no casualties reported. Explosion rocks road in Idlib estmated to be aimed at buses. Mass rally in Idlib going on in front of Justice palace now. Injuries still reported in BabaAmar Homs. Activists in Homs asked Arab League Observers to force Syrian regime from entering Hikmah Hospital and arresting wounded. There are currently no safe heaven hospital safety zones for civilians military or wounded of either sides of hostility in Syria it appears. Red Cross operate under restricted circumstances often having to make special requests to enter military zones rather than being able to enforce what is known 'costumary law' wounded protection shelters. 4 children died yesterday in civilian circumstances shot by Syrian Govt army. Due to confidentiality and neutrality Red Cross have made no statement. In all areas of Syria mass rallies are the norm everyday because the mass of the people are not cooperating with the regime. There is great disastifaction being voiced by the choice of Mohamed Dadi who helmed military 'clearing' teams in Dafur, as the head of the Observer delegation. Humanitarian assistance is failing to reach Syria via Jordan because Iran has begun road blockades there. The UN remains silent about its mission there. Charity missions to bring aid to Syria are hampered by the conditions of other countries like Libya where the casualty recovery rate from the war requires attention making space to raise funds for humanitarian support in Syria difficult.

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UPDATE 27th December 2011 Tanks withdraw from Homs, but await in road sidings for their next move. Meanwhile 50 thousand people demonstrate against Assad's regime in the Khaldiyah district of Homs. During the demonstration funeral coffins are being lifted aloft from previous shellings in the week of the city of Homs. Eyewitness says BabaAmra is deserted, a car drives through it showing, no people, but shops that have been shelled with a few peppered by gunshots. Several dead women marked by bullet wounds await burrial having died around two days ago. Meanwhile Arab delegation awaits to be taken to BabaAmra district.
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SYRIA PINNACLE OF TEARS

NEWS UPDATE THURSDAY 21th Dec Syria
Syrain National Council requests safety zone for civilians.
UN Emergency Meeting called for to declare Jabal Zawiya a disaster zone

Comander Co Riad As'ad of the Northern Syrian Free Army stated (21st Dec) via the Wall St Journal that last week in Jabal Zawiya he saw the worst, harshest and most inhumane attack ever in the 8 month war. The Syrian National Council of the Oppostion are therfore requesting that Jabal Zawiya be considered a disaster area and that the UN arrange an emergency meeting to declare it as a safety zone. This request is highly significant because it is calling for the International law of the Geneva Convention to be implemented where safety zones are created for civilians and for the army wounded to be protected as well as the neutrality of the Hospital to be upheld. Should the UN ignore this request they are in themselves contributing to a war crime scenario because when a commander requests a safety zone international law requires it is implemented.

Pinnicale of Tears

In the last few weeks the Syrian regime has shown itself to be an expert in the things that most human beings of normal conscience and sanity would not tolerate. They have orchestrated a military campaign against their own people with such skill that they have become the pinnacle of injustice in war.

Their latest victims in Homs yesterday were a group of innocent children, who bore witness to the insane barbarity of the regime. Bodies were blown appart in artillery shellings, that seemed to have focused on an area where children were playing. Footage reveals one decapitiated boy and parts of legs of other children wrapped together. In another video shreds of two babies fall through the ceiling. Such damning footage must be explained away to discover what circumstances occurred to create these terrible images. None can dispute that from the voices of the wailing family members trying to muster the strength to bury the children they are certainly of Syrian origin. What is shocking is that there is no remorse or admission by the regime that they have made a big mistake in taking up arms against their own people in whatever measure their own people have railed against them the government violence is simply untenable. No state can claim to be a state when it ceases to protect its own people or when it takes to murdering them in order to keep itself in tact.

The denials of Assad are no longer acceptable, not that they ever were, for it is clear today that his Government artillery were in Homs and have been there all week. What ranckles highly amongst the advocates of human rights is that the state violence meted out against the people is disproportionate. The analogy is like a sledgehammer to crack a nut - why oh why are tanks being used against children who are simply throwing stones? This is not a crime against the state surely? Most children express their anger all the time by picking up stones so how did these innocents become anarchists theives and armed gangs over night? It doesnt seem realistic that they would have become such monsters. Therefore a lot of questions need to be asked by the Observer Delegates, attending Syria this month.

It is indeed mind boggling that Syria's regime has orchestrated such an environment of fear over the whole Middle East region that its Heads of state fear to critise Assad in case they themselves may become political targets. But in failing to admonish Assad they are being tarred with the same brush of coalgulating blood, in which they themselves are distrusted by their own citizens.

Therefore now is the time, for the excuses end. The bully can no longer be allowed to rule the playground nor distrub the children at play. He must be called to account by the International Community for misjudging the situation and placing his whole people in jeopardy. Whilst it is a bad thing to do it is not necessarily a crime to throw a stone. It depends on the context and I cant see how any citizen could be a criminal by throwing a stone at a tank if it was thundering down on him.

It is therefore up to Assad to apply the first principle of his ancient country as the seat of Christainity encapsulated in the phrase 'He who is without sin, cast the first stone.' In the light of this, the Honourable thing for him to do is to stand down from power. Anything else is a betrayal by the International Community and of himself.

But for the Red Cross to implement safety zones they must be given access right away with no excuses either by Assad, Western or Arabic powers because anything less is a rancourous formula that fails to see that the Geneva Convention is the tool to sort these matters out. A cursory view of the International Customary Law on war reveals violations in various degrees on the following articles in the Geneava Convention by Syria 5,6,7,8,11,14,15,17,19,20,22,23,24,37,36, - with the following articles deemed active by ICRC 89,90,94,100,101,104,111,113. Here are those numbers and what they mean in international law at the ICRC website http://www.icrc.org/customary-ihl/eng/docs/v2_cou_sy_rule14 Red Cross rules
It remains to be seen if the International Community can prove these violations and has the courage of its convictions to punish the perpetrators of them.

Another Blog will look in depth at the violations of international law and the UN's responsiblity to uphold it.