183 victims of civilian armaments in the first quarter of 2023

The 12-year-long Syrian war caused the spread of violence, extra-judicial killings, and various forms of human rights violations due to the war and multiple controlling powers that contributed to aggravating the unstable security by forming armed groups consisting of civilians, in addition to the complacency of authorities in the four zones of control regarding the arms proliferation and civilian armament.

Although civilians in Syria justify the possession of weapons and ammunition for security motives, however, the spread of weapons among civilians has become the reason behind a significant part of the country’s extrajudicial death toll.

The Monitoring and Documentation Department of North Press recorded the death and injury of 184 civilians in the first quarter of 2023 due to civilian armament and indiscriminate use. The death of 75 individuals was recorded, including two children and 22 women, whereas 109 were wounded, including nine children and six women. The victims spread across Syria as follows: 40 individuals were recorded in the northern countryside of Aleppo, nine in Aleppo, 38 in Deir ez-Zor, 19 in Daraa, 20 in Latakia, 14 in Haskah, 14 in Suwayda, 11 in Qamishli, six in Raqqa, four in Hama, four in Damascus, three in Homs, and two in Idlib.

The Syrian community witnesses law violations due to the absence of accountability. It has become easier to obtain weapons illegally as everyone can acquire weapons amid the deteriorating security in Syria. The absence of censorship and the negligence of official and legal authorities in conducting criminal prosecutions and taking controlling measures against civilian armaments, contributed in expanding the effects of this dangerous phenomenon.

One of the consequences of civilian armament is killing people by stray bullets allowing perpetrators to be free from punishment. In the first three months of 2023, 27 incidents of fighting among civilians occurred. In addition to crimes where women were killed by their relatives or husbands under the name of “crimes of honor,” not to mention the recruitment of civilians by the parties of the conflict as part of a ruling power, facilitating their violations against non-member civilians also the large spread of public weapons trade in popular markets and shops and by people amid inactions from authorities to limit it.

The Syrian law and the laws of all controlling powers ban the possession of an unauthorized weapon where the bearers are fined with large sums of money, confiscation of the weapon and imprisonment for up to 15 years. The international humanitarian law, in accordance with the Law on Protection of Citizens’ Security, mandates the licensing of weapons and clarifying the reason for their acquisition. However, most laws are considered formal and no longer enforceable because they could not control the chaos of obtaining weapons because more than 60 percent of Syrians have some type of weapon. Therefore after 12 years of the Syrian war, authorities and relevant parties in the United Nations and Security Council should stress on disarmament to guarantee a safe, stable, and weapon free future.

During the 12 years of war in Syria, the conflicting parties caused many hostilities, extrajudicial killings, and multiple human rights violations, which contributed to the chaos across Syria, which in turn directly caused the expansion of the phenomenon of civilian armament and the public weapon trade amid the absence of censorship and laws. Civilian armament became a significant contributor to the country’s extrajudicial death toll.