Syrian Aid Group Accuses Russia of War Crimes in UN Complaint

A Syrian man and an aid organization have lodged a formal complaint against Russia for alleged violations of international law, specifically accusing Moscow of deliberately bombing a hospital in northern Syria in 2019. The complaint, filed this week at the United Nations Human Rights Committee, has reignited scrutiny over Russia's military intervention in Syria's conflict, aimed at bolstering President Bashar al-Assad's forces.

The accusation centers on a series of airstrikes on the Kafr Nobol Surgical Hospital in the northwest province of Idlib on May 5, 2019. The complaint, filed by the cousin of two civilians killed in the attack and Hand in Hand for Aid and Development, alleges that Russia's Air Force was responsible for the bombing, which occurred in territory held by armed groups opposed to Assad.

Evidence presented in the complaint includes videos, eyewitness statements, and audio recordings, including correspondence between a Russian pilot and ground control discussing the dropping of munitions.

Human Rights Committee must condemn attack

Fadi al-Dairi, director of Hand in Hand, emphasized the importance of the Human Rights Committee in acknowledging the truth of the attack and the suffering it caused.

The Human Rights Committee, based in Geneva, monitors political and civil rights globally and can receive complaints from states and individuals regarding alleged violations. Individual complaints, such as this one, have the potential to lead to compensation payments, investigations, or other measures.

Russia, while denying accusations of violating international law in Syria, is subject to the committee's oversight as it signed the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 1991. However, both Syria and Russia are not party to the International Criminal Court's Rome Statute, limiting opportunities for accountability.