Samin al-Khaitan, spokesman for the UN Office for Human Rights (OHCHR), stressed in Geneva on Friday that “as far as sanctions on Syria are concerned, it is important that sanctions imposed by any party take into account the rights of civilians. The importance of humanitarian aid should be kept in mind. should not be influenced.”
The spokesman said that in the nearly two weeks since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government, hundreds of prisoners have been seen emerging from the now-open prisons, many of them happy to see the light of day, others, later. Enduring years of oppression and inhumane treatment, unable to express themselves in any way.
“Many families are still in deep mourning because they have not found their loved ones,” he said.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk is sending a team of human rights officials to Syria next week to strengthen the UN’s presence on human rights issues, the spokesman said.
widespread poverty
Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said it has been unable to work in Syria since 2018. More than 90 percent of Syrians currently live below the poverty line, and in recent weeks, 8 million people have been newly displaced. This situation presents a new humanitarian emergency on a large scale.
“Frankly, we face serious challenges in meeting humanitarian needs, citing the ongoing conflict in Syria, and also the ongoing civil war,” IOM chief Amy Pope told reporters in Geneva on Friday.
The IOM chief said immediate relief aid is important for Syria, as well as “stabilizing” the situation in Syria.
Health care in crisis
Meanwhile, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) has appealed for $56.4 million over the next six months, reiterating its deep concern over the level of needs of the Syrian people and the “extreme suffering” they are facing.
Dr Christina Bethke, the WHO’s acting representative in Syria, warned that displaced communities are forced to live in overcrowded informal camps and shelters, have little to eat and are at risk of respiratory infections, diarrhea and other diseases including scabies.
Dr Bethke, speaking from the capital Damascus, also described the mission of a WHO assessment team in Idlib, northwest of the country.
He spoke to “dedicated surgeons who have worked tirelessly for the past three weeks during these events, often under attack and fighting to save their lives” One surgeon quoted patients as saying: ‘Finally now we can sleep at night.’ , no longer concerned about bombing.’
WHO appeals for funding to help keep critical health services running during the transition period. These include 141 health facilities in northwestern Syria, which are at risk of “closing in the coming weeks” due to lack of resources.
Dr. Bethke said, “There is a serious burden on the health infrastructure and we have seen that in just three weeks during this increase, there have been 36 attacks on health care services. More than half of the country’s hospitals are not functioning.”