The prohibition of the killing of civilians was recognized as early as in the Lieber Code of 1863. The killing of civilians was included in the list of war crimes in the Statute of the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg.
Common article 3 of the Geneva Conventions prohibits “attacks to the life and physical integrity, in particular, all kinds of killing” of civilians. In all four Geneva Conventions, the “premeditated murder” of protected persons is listed among the serious violations of the Conventions. The prohibition of murder is recognized as one of the main guarantees in Additional Protocols I and II.
Murder is also listed among war crimes in the Statute of the International Criminal Court for both international and non-international armed conflicts, and in the Statutes of the International Criminal Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda and the Special Court for Sierra Leone. The prohibition of the killing of civilians is enshrined in many military regulations and manuals, as well as contained in the legislation of many states.
According to numerous testimonies of victims and witnesses, ISIS militants deliberately killed civilians in the towns and villages they had occupied. This is largely due to the fact that civilians supported the legitimate Syrian government. In addition, the militants purposefully killed representatives of the civil administration and shot at people who wanted to escape from the settlements.
Murhej Arad Al-Humaidan, Deir ez-Zor Governorate, Jibli, 68 years old, peasant
Murhej Arad Al-Humaidan, Deir ez-Zor Governorate, Jibli, 68 years old, peasant: “My cousin’s name was Ahmad Traud, his house was attacked, he was killed, his son Nazar was also killed, now his brother is lame. Ahmad was killed because he was an official, he worked for the government, so he was against the Free Syrian Army and against the ISIS. He didn’t want our country to be destroyed. They attacked him at 2.00 a.m It was in 2015 or 2016, the militants killed 18-20 people in our village.
When the ISIL people came to us, they started intimidating us, they made us very scared. They cut off the heads of those who cooperated with the government and hung them on the gates. They were using schools as accommodation, after that they destroyed the schools, they destroyed even water storages. We asked about those water tanks, located at a height, why they destroyed them, that was just potable water. They said because if the Syrian government returns, they will use these water tanks for snipers, they will put snipers at the top of the tanks. We were obliged to pay ‘zakat’ (tax) for the harvest that we have grown on our Syrian land. They said they took only the money, but they lied - they took everything. They took 100%. They use the funds from these taxes to help only the people who support and help them.”
Abdulrazak Mustafa Al-Shihada, Raqqa Governorate, Zor Shamar, 57 years old, peasant
Question: “What did the militants do? How did they treat people, women, men?”
Abdulrazak Mustafa Al-Shihada, Raqqa Governorate, Zor Shamar, 57 years old, peasant: “If anyone dared to say bad things about the militants, they could easily kill him. If they get to know that this person is a civil servant, they will him. The militants captured my friend, he was a party member, his name was Hussein Mnuekh. They were asking him if he was a party member. He disappeared. He was sent to Tel-Abyad, people are said to vanish there. That was where he disappeared.
Ali Abdelkarim Shaifun, Idlib Governorate, Shtabraq, 47 years old, disabled
Ali Abdelkarim Shaifun, Idlib Governorate, Shtabraq, 47 years old, disabled, 47 years old: “We lived in the town of Shtabraq when the militants attacked us. Me with my father and sisters. The militants killed my whole family – my father, sisters and my brother, totally six people. It was on April 24, 2015. A grenade was thrown into the house where my parents were – my sister and two brothers died. The brother’s wife was shot when she tried to leave the village – right in the street. My father and I were captured, the militants cut off my father’s head and put it between his legs.”
Ismail Ibrahim Horo, Idlib Governorate, Shtabraq, 40 years old, odd-jobber
Ismail Ibrahim Horo, Idlib Governorate, Shtabraq, 40 years old, odd-jobber: “For 3 years and 3 months I spent in captivity by terrorists – from April 25, 2015 to July 5, 2018. My father used to the Mayor of Shtabraq. When the militants began to surround our village from all sides, my father, my mother, sister and other residents of the village tried to escape from Shtabraq. When he was 1 km away from the village, he was shot by the sniper. The car hit the wall and turned over. My sister Samar came up to her father and she was shot by the sniper. She was 16. Lots of people were injured, many died, the rest were captured.
Ibrahim Yunis Huru, the mayor of Shtabraq and his daughter Samar, 16 years old, killed by a militant sniper (photo: Ibrahim Yunis Huru - father, mayor, sister Samar - sniper with his father)
Ismail Ibrahim Horo, Idlib Governorate, Shtabraq, 40 years old, odd-jobber: “When my brother and I were captured, at first they beat us with everything they could – sticks, wires, pieces of iron, sometimes very hard. There were militants from different states, some Dagestanis, some Arabs, they spoke the dialect of the Persian Gulf. After that they delivered us to the Harem prison.
In prison, they began to put pressure on us, they didn’t give us bread, my brother was killed 5 days after his arrest. My brother’s name was Farez Ibrahim Khorro, he was 25. They tortured him a lot, and then killed There were battles between our army and the militants, the militants lost lots of soldiers when fighting near some village and, in order to raise the spirit of the militants, they killed my brother. Another brother, Hassan Ibrahim Horror, who was captured, and they got his head cut off. He was 27. His wife was also captured as a prisoner. She was four months pregnant, gave birth to a daughter there. My cousin was also put in that prison. I had nine close relatives there.”
Farez Ibrahim Horro (in the second photo, blue clothes), a resident of Shtabraq, Idlib Governorate, 25 years old, killed by militants in Harem prison to raise the spirit of the militants (pictured: Farez, wearing blue clothes, was killed 5 days ago).
Hassan Ibrahim Horro, a resident of Shtabraq, Idlib Governorate, 27 years old, killed by the militants in Harem prison and his daughter Samar Hassan Horro, who was born in Harem prison (pictured: Brother Hassan - killed, Samar Hasib Huru - the child was born in Harem prison)
Ibrahim Imad Al-Sheikh Ibrahim, Idlib Governorate, Inbada, 35 years old, civil servant, 35 years old
Ibrahim Imad Al-Sheikh Ibrahim, Idlib Governorate, Inbada, 35 years old, civil servant, 35 years old: “The militants attacked our village about 5 a.m. I lived next to my parents, but when I went to their house, I didn’t see anyone there because they had escaped from the attack. My father hid his family and came back to our house to protect it. My sister was with him. When the militants saw them, they started shooting and killed them immediately. They were killed immediately. I was hiding from the militants and managed to reach the Syrian army.”
Ibrahim Hassan Mahmoud, Idlib Governorate, Harem, 58 years old, peasant
Ibrahim Hassan Mahmoud, Idlib Governorate, Harem, 58 years old, peasant: “They wanted us to leave Harem because they wanted to steal everything from our houses – household appliances, cars.
About 20,000 people lived in Harem, but only 1,500 of them managed to escape. When we escaped from there and passed through the checkpoint in Kafr Takharim, if the militants found out that a person was from Harem, they also killed him. In Kafr Takharim, 170 persons from Harem were killed. They were asking us - who are from Harem? If anyone was saying that he was from Harem - they immediately killed him. If anyone still stayed in this district - they could find him and later they killed this person. Or they took them, and after that they killed them.
Juma Muhammad Mahmud, was disabled as a result of a shot fired by militants in 2012, Idlib Governorate, Harem, 38 years old
Juma Muhammad Mahmud, was disabled as a result of a shot fired by militants in 2012, Idlib Governorate, Harem, 38 years old: “I usually went shopping, from my home to the store to buy something - things, eggs, hummus, kefir. I was standing outside, in the street, and I felt something hit my head.”
Ibrahim Hassan Mahmoud, Idlib Governorate, Harem, 58 years old, peasant: “He was standing near a 2-floor house. His parents were asking him to go back home, but he didn’t have enough time to do that. He got a bullet in his head. Jabhat An-Nusra militants were shooting at everyone. Even when they saw some animal - a sheep, or a dog - they started shooting at it.
Muteb Samir Khaims, Idlib Governorate, Idlib, 39 years old, construction worker
Muteb Samir Khaims, Idlib Governorate, Idlib, 39 years old, construction worker: “When the militants were pushing forward, they killed many of my relatives and friends. My brother was killed. My elder brother was a shop owner, he was selling meat. Some people came and started destroying his store, where the owner and his family lived, when he went outside and asked why they had done this, they ran away, escaped. Next day they met him at the road, and they shot him immediately. They were gunmen from the Free Syrian Army. They obeyed Feilak al-Sham.”
Nasima Mohammed Zanza, Idlib Governorate, al-Fu'ah, 69 years old, retired
Nasima Mohammed Zanza, Idlib Governorate, al-Fu'ah, 69 years old, retired: “During the month of Ramadan, the first year of the blockade, one mine hit the house, my daughter, aged 23, and my granddaughter, died, my daughter was a student at the institute. 40 days later her father, and the grand-daughter’s father were also killed.
Nashrad Mashhad Skhada, Idlib Governorate, Mbodi, 58 years old, school worker
Nashrad Mashhad Skhada, Idlib Governorate, Mbodi, 58 years old, school worker: “On August 4, 2013, at around 4.30 a.m. the militants occupied our village. We were captured and taken prisoners. After 30 hours we wanted to escape, but the militants started shooting at us and my daughter Yasmin, she was 9 years old at that time, was wounded in the legs and stomach.”
Yasmin Nashrad Shkhada, Idlib Governorate, Mbodi, student, 19 years old
Yasmin Nashrad Shkhada, Idlib Governorate, Mbodi, student, 19 years old: “My brother and my mother came to the militants, but they said: We won’t give her any medical treatment.” Then I was transported to Turkey, where they performed an operation, put my leg into plaster. The doctor contacted my father and he took me back to Syria. When I had my medical treatment in Turkey, there was a nurse and one doctor who spoke Arabic, she translated from Turkish. They said that the militants came and asked the doctor to sell the girl’s organs. But the doctor there refused to do that, as he managed to find my parents in Syria.”
Khudi Muhammad Said Baher, Idlib Governorate, al-Fu'ah, 50 years old, housewife
Khudi Muhammad Said Baher, Idlib Governorate, al-Fu'ah, 50 years old, housewife: “We were starving. The militants captured my husband, then they shot him and burned his body. I had three daughters left with me. Almost all my cousins were killed.”
Or Najib Salin, Idlib Governorate, Bluta, 36 years old, housewife
Or Najib Salin, Idlib Governorate, Bluta, 36 years old, housewife: “On August 4, 2013, the militants attacked at 4 a.m,. we wanted to escape by car, but could not leave because the roads were already blocked. We stopped and got out of the car and my son Haidara was walking about there when the militants shot his the arm. His brother Hayat was also wounded, when he was walking near his car. He was 8 years old. They were shooting at us when we got off the car.
Haidara Majgur Yasin, 11 years old, Idlib Governorate, Bluta, wounded hands as a result of an attack by militants
Wad Salum Mariam, Idlib Governorate, Baruda, 29 years old, housewife, 29 years old: It happened back in 2013. We were at home, we heard a blow not far from us, everyone ran to the car, we left for the village of Budda, and the militants were already there, they shot at us, I received three shots, one at the arm, one at the stomach, the third - at the thigh.”
Question: “Did the militants shot your shoulder, thigh, and stomach deliberately?”
Wad Salum Mariam, Idlib Governorate, Baruda, 29 years old, housewife
Wad Salum Mariam, Idlib Governorate, Baruda, 29 years old, housewife, 29 years old: “I was pregnant, standing there in front of them, and they saw it. The first shot hit the stomach and the child died. There were about 10 people around me. All together we managed to flee. My sister was also wounded there. My father, my brother, my uncle, his wife, cousin, cousin, children of relatives, all died. 31 persons were killed at that time.
Muhammad Badr Dib, Idlib Governorate, Bluta, 64 years old, retired
Muhammad Badr Dib, Idlib Governorate, Bluta, 64 years old, retired: “I live next to my parents, with my parent, we live next to each other. My brother lives 100 meters from me. On August 4, 2013 at 4.30 a.m. we heard automatic rifles shooting. The militants were coming in from the village of Baruda. They blocked the house where my brother was living and started shooting at it. My brother was calling me at that time. After that I got to know that my brother was killed by a mine blast in his own house Children were scared and were asking for help. The militants captured his son, who was 16 years old, took him away and nobody knows where he is now. His name is Amjad Gazir Dib. We still don’t know anything about him. After that, his wife, his brother and his son, who is 10 months old, were taken away and sent to Baruda. She was asking why they killed her husband, where was her son? She was crying and asking where to find her son, and a man speaking with an accent, probably a foreigner, told her to shut up. ‘If you don’t shut up, our Amir will come and beat you.’ After that Amir came and asked, ‘Who is this woman? What does she want?’ She said she wanted to find her son and asked why they had killed her husband. Amir said that they did not kill him, grabbed his pistol and emptied a magazine into her. She was survived by a girl called Zena Gazir Dib, a seven-grader, and a 10-month child called Vityat Gazir Dib. The militants took them all and brought to different destinations. It took us a year to take them back.”
Ramid Badiya Selim, Idlib Governorate, Bluta, 45 years old, odd-jobber, 45 years old
Ramid Badiya Selim, Idlib Governorate, Bluta, 45 years old, odd-jobber, 45 years old: “On August 4, 2013 at 4 a.m the militants attacked us. My father was 90 years old. They cut his head. My father’s sister was executed by shooting. My wife’s body was found some time later. I could only recognize her by her hair. About 100 bullets were fired at my brother. I saw on the Internet afterwards – they put a photo of Sheikh Hassan Nasrullah on his stomach and wrote that this was a man who wanted to kill him.
Another brother of mine lived in Latakia. He came home. At that time the militants were on the offensive. I saw a video on the Internet of the militants killing him. His photo was posted online. We don’t know anything about my third brother. Where he was killed, or at least where we can find his body. All three wives of my brothers were killed by the militants. And we also don’t know where their bodies are, and where their children are. My brother’s son was shot right in front of me. His name was Alyam Azen Sevi, he was 4 years old. About 30 of my relatives were killed.”
Aya Nasr Fakhro, 14 years old, schoolgirl, Asma Nasr Fakhro, 12 years old, schoolgirl, Idlib Governorate, Shtabraq
Question: “What happened to you? How did you end up in a militant prison?”
Asma Nasr Fakhro, Idlib Governorate Shtabraq, a 12-year old school girl “When the terrorists started to take over our village, we and our parents managed to escape by car. The terrorists were shooting at our car, I was wounded, and my parents were killed. I got a bullet in my arm.”
Wounds resulting from shelling by the militants of a car in which Asma Nasr Fakhro (a schoolgirl, 12 years old) and her family tried to escape from Shtabraq, Idlib Governorate. Asma’s parents were killed in the shelling
Asma Nasr Fakhro, Idlib Governorate Shtabraq, a 12-year old school girl After I was wounded, the militants took me to Al Bab where I got some medical treatment. Then they took us to different places, I do not know the names of these places, but they constantly brought us everywhere, forced us to wear clothes according to Sharia law and learn the Quran.”
Fayad Ibrahim Mariam, Idlib Governorate, Hambushia, 52 years old, civil servant
Fayad Ibrahim Mariam, Idlib Governorate, Hambushia, 52 years old, civil servant: At 7 a.m we were at home and heard automatic rifles shooting. We came out and asked what was happening. We heard that the militants were coming in. I took my children, we couldn’t escape through the door of our house, we escaped through the window in the room of the house.
When we were running away, I got a chest wound. My wife wanted to help me, but I told her that I would help myself and told her to run on. When they ran 50 meters, the militants saw them and shot them all. My wife and children were killed. Khalaf Fayat Ibrahim was 15 years old, Maraj Fayad Ibrahim was 14 years old. My wife, her name is Vissam Ali Torgush She was 38. My father was with them, he was also killed. Ibrahim Bayam, he was 60 years old. I was unconscious for about 15 minutes. When I regained consciousness, I didn’t know what had happened, I walked on and after 50 meters I saw all my children, they were lying on the ground and all were dead.”
Gaida Yousef Hammoud, Idlib Governorate, Shtabraq, 43 years old, textile worker
Gaida Yousef Hammoud, Idlib Governorate, Shtabraq, 43 years old, textile worker: “On January 15, 2015, at seven in the morning, I was on my way to work to a textile factory and a mine exploded under the bus. I was wounded, so I have traces of that wound on my face. In addition, I had a shrapnel wound to my arm and leg. Because of the damaged nerve, I cannot use two fingers on my hand. There were 30 people on the bus, only three girls survived, the rest died. These terrorists are mulhids – they do not know Allah, they do not recognize him, they are not afraid of him.”
Question: “Who put that mine there?”
Gaida Yousef Hammoud, Idlib Governorate, Shtabraq, 43 years old, textile worker: “Terrorists. All around there was nobody, only them, that’s the reason why it happened so.