ANKARA
At least 176,678 Syrian civilians including, 18,242 children and 18,457 women, have been killed by the Assad regime from the beginning of peaceful anti-regime demonstrations in March 2011, an activist group's report said Thursday.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights, or SNHR, report documented the names, photos, place and time of death of the victims.
SNHR estimated that at least 215,000 people, including 6,580 women and 9,500 children, have been detained since March 2011. The report noted that 2011 was the worst year with regards to government forces targeting doctors, journalists, lawyers and actors while 2012 was the worst year for detained and missing people.
The report also showed that the regime targeted people between the ages of 22 to 40 in 2014.
The regime has been continuing its torture against civilians and at least 11,427 people, including 94 children and 32 women, were killed through torture.
“Government forces deliberately targeted places of worship such as mosques and churches and also used some as bases around bombed areas...we have recorded the targeting of at least 2,044 houses of worship by government forces,” the report said.
The report also highlighted the regime’s use of unlawful weapons against civilians, “Government forces used gases believed to be toxic, including chlorine gas, at least 103 times, at 40 locations in Syria, leading to the deaths of 950 people, including 40 of the armed opposition members, 7 prisoners of the government forces, and 903 civilians, including 187 children and 162 women.”
The conflict started in March 2011 when President Bashar al-Assad's regime responded to anti-government protests with a violent crackdown.
It has created an acute refugee crisis, with as many as 3.8 million Syrian refugees registered in neighboring countries Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq.
