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After the Syrian regime’s years of silence about the fate of tens of thousands of people that rights groups say have been forcibly kidnapped in the war, authorities have begun quietly updating registers to acknowledge thousands of deaths.
Following the ongoing talks between Russia, Turkey and Iran in Astana to release detainees in regime prisons, Damascus released a list which stated that 8,000 civilians detained over the course of seven years were dead-- likely by torture-- including academicians, journalists and civil servants.
The regime has tried to conceal the massacre and torture by listing their cause of death as “heart attacks” and cited infectious diseases. Among the dead are 125 children and 63 women.
The listed names were registered in Aleppo, Homs, Daraa, Tartus, Idlib, Lattakia, Deir ez-zor, Raqqaa and Hasakah.
Tortured to death
Syrian Opposition Commander General Adib Shelaf allegedly said that more than 200,000 civilians have been disappeared in detention facilities belonging to the Syrian regime and that at least 40,000 were tortured to death in jails.
Shelaf stated, “The Syrian regime decided to covertly de-register those who were detained during the Syrian civil war due to a groundswell of international pressure. The regime noted the cause of deaths on official records as either ‘heart attack’ or due to ‘infectious diseases.’”
Syria’s Zaman al-Wasl newspaper and the Violations Documentation Centre in Syria have reported names of 8,000 prisoners who were tortured to death over the past seven years in regime jails in July.
The number of deaths based on regions is as follows:
1- Damascus suburbs: 1856
2. Daraa: 1283
3. Homs: 1253
4. Damascus: 870
5. Hama: 762
6. Idlib: 585
7. Aleppo: 473
8. Deir Ezzor: 450
9. Latakia: 154
10. Quneitra: 110
11. Raqqa: 50
12. Hasaka: 44
13. Tartus: 28
14. Swaida: 23
Ten victims of non-Syrian nationalities, and two of the victims were not affiliated with any nationality.
The UN’s Syria envoy has discussed with representatives of Turkey, Iran, and Russia the formation of a committee to rewrite Syria's Constitution, he said on Tuesday.The informal consultations took place on day two of the 10th round of Syria peace talks in the Astana format in the Russian Black Sea city of Sochi.After the gathering, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura told journalists that the meeting had been "useful".Earlier the regime and opposition each submitted to de Mistura a list of 50 candidates to represent them on the committee.In addition to the formation of a constitutional committee, the 10th round of Syrian talks is focused on the latest situation in de-escalation zones in Idlib, the return of refugees, and the release of prisoners.Last week, the regime began a military buildup in southwestern Idlib in a bid to attack Syria’s northwestern Turkmen Mountain region, which is located within the de-escalation zones.Idlib is set to be a top issue during the Astana meeting, as the Turkish delegation is expected to stress the importance of maintaining the cease-fire regime in the region.
UN, Turkey, Iran, Russia talk Syrian charter committee
Astana talks to contribute to end of civil war
The Astana peace talks, which were launched in January 2017 with the aim of putting an end to violence and improving the humanitarian situation in war-torn Syria by Iran, Russia and Turkey, is being considered as the sole solution to the end of the Syrian civil war.
The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura will have talks with Iran, Russia and Turkey representatives in September to draft a new Syrian constitution. According to a UN statement, Mistura held informal talks in Sochi with Russian, Iranian and Turkish representatives and received lists from the Assad regime and the opposition on proposed candidates for the Constitutional Committee on Tuesday.
Officials from Turkey, Russian and Iran on Monday agreed to the mutual release of some Syrian detainees from both the regime and opposition sides. According to participants attending the pre-meeting in the Russian city of Sochi ahead of a 10th round of Syria peace talks in Astana, Kazakhstan, as part of confidence-building measures, the sides will mutually release a limited number of detainees that they held. No further details were provided by the participants -- who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media -- on how many detainees will be released or from what region. The 10th round of Syria peace talks will start in Astana, Kazakhstan on Tuesday, which will address the latest situation in de-escalation zones in Idlib, Syria, the return of refugees, the release of prisoners, and the formation of a committee that will rewrite Syria's Constitution. During the 9th Astana meeting held on May 14-15, all parties agreed to maintain the de-escalation zones and the cease-fire regime. However, the Assad forces and their allies took control of the de-escalation zones in the Homs region, Daraa, and Quintieri following a heavy offensive. Last week, the regime began a military buildup in southwestern Idlib in a bid to attack Syria’s northwestern Turkmen Mountain region, which is located within the de-escalation zones. Idlib is set to be a top issue during the Astana meeting, as the Turkish delegation is expected to stress the importance of maintaining the cease-fire regime in the region. Separately, Russia during the meeting is expected for the first time to bring up the issue of the return of refugees and displaced persons. Russian officials have recently visited Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon, which host the majority of Syria's refugees. UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura is also expected to meet with the Turkish, Russian and Iranian officials on the formation of a constitutional committee. The regime and opposition had each submitted to de Mistura a list of 50 candidates to represent them on the committee.
Turkey, Russia, Iran set to free some Syrian detainees
The constitutional committee will include 50 people from “government, opposition representatives, Syrian experts, civil society, independents, tribal leaders and women.”
In addition to the formation of a constitutional committee, the 10th round of Syrian talks is focused on the latest situation in de-escalation zones in Idlib, the return of refugees, and the release of prisoners.
Officials from Turkey, Russian and Iran on Monday agreed to the mutual release of some Syrian detainees from both the regime and opposition sides.
Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests. Since then, more than 250,000 people have been killed and over 10 million were displaced, according to the UN.