Footage showing the results of an alleged massacre in the Syrian city of Hama in April has been obtained by RT. Sources say that opposition rebels committed the atrocity.
The video shows the bloodstained bodies of four victims lying on body-bags on the floor of a morgue. It then goes on to show a number of bodies, including those of women and children in a house that looks to have been attacked. The victims’ bodies display evidence of severe trauma, bullet wounds and burns. At the beginning of the video three children are shown in tears, the older girl demands to be allowed to go to the hospital to see her mother. “What was these children’s fault? Why were they killed?” she shouts at the camera.According to RT sources opposition rebel groups were responsible for the massacre. The video is dated April 18, six days after the UN-brokered ceasefire officially came into effect. In spite of the truce consistent reports of violence on the part of opposition groups and regime forces have continued to come out of the country.Another massacre occurred in Hama on June 6, where up to 80 people were killed in the village of al-Qubair. UN observers were unable to ascertain who was behind the attack. The opposition claimed that pro-regime militia group “Shabiha” was to blame, while the Syrian government said armed terrorist were behind the mass killing.
Houla massacre
Following an investigation into the massacre of over 100 civilians in the city of Houla on May 25 the UN says it is not clear who perpetrated the attack.The leader of the team of UN investigators Paulo Pinheiro said there was no concrete evidence pointing to the regime but "forces loyal to the government may have been responsible for many of the deaths."He said that the way in which the killings were carried out was similar to previous attack by pro-government forces.The team of UN monitors conducted over 400 interviews with witnesses and compiled photographs, videos and satellite imagery as part of their investigation into the incident."In the increasingly militarized context, human rights violations are occurring across the country on an alarming scale during military operations against locations believed to be hosting defectors and/or those perceived as affiliated with anti-government armed groups, including the 'Free Syrian Army'." said Pinheira.The UN had previously condemned the Syrian government for the Houla massacre. The conclusions of the UN report have added to growing conjecture as to who is responsible for the spiralling violence in the country. The international community still remains at odds regarding the conflict amid growing rhetoric, calling for al-Assad’s removal from office. Russia’s Deputy Ambassador to the UN said the report did not accurately reflect “the scope of violence by militants, who kill and abduct civilians” during a UN meeting in Geneva on Wednesday.He stressed that militants funded from abroad carried out attacks on government buildings on a daily basis.Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are due to meet on Friday in St. Petersburg to discuss a solution to the Syrian conflict.