SNC Declares Homs "A Humanitarian Disaster"

Syrian National Council
An urgent statement on the declaration of Homs a disaster-stricken city - Disaster area

For the 5th consecutive day, the Syrian regime imposed a brutal siege on the brave city of Homs, aiming to break the will of its residents, and to brutalize its steadfast people who have dared to reject the regime's authority and mandate, and insisted on demanding their legitimate rights for freedom and dignity.

The regime’s militia, its forces, and its security apparatus, are using Shabiha (regime-sponsored gangs) to impose a tightened siege on the city of Homs, a siege that began to tighten more and more since the regime found itself forced to recognize the initiative of the League of Arab States. The siege has prevented medical supplies and food from getting in to more than 2,000,000 people. It also led to preventing families, women and children from leaving and moving to safe areas, while the regime uses heavy artillery, rocket launchers, and warplanes to bomb populated residential neighborhoods, and forbids the media and representatives of international organizations from seeing what is going on and from reporting the facts to the public.
In the light of information confirming that the regime launched a large-scale attack on Sunday night / Monday (6-7th Nov) on the neighborhoods of Homs from several directions, that indiscriminate slaughter is being committed by the regime’s militias, and the spread of dead bodies which people are unable to bury or access a hospital; because of shelling and firing operations carried out by snipers, the Syrian National Council announces for the public knowledge of the Arab and wider World:

"Homs City is a humanitarian disaster area"

We call urgently on both the United Nations and its humanitarian organizations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the League of Arab States and all international bodies concerned with human rights, asking the following:
1. Condemnation of the Syrian regime's attack on the city of Homs, in the strongest terms and urging the Syrian regime to cease fire immediately.
2. Declaration of the city of Homs a humanitarian disaster area, and the application of international legislation for the provision of medical assistance, aid and relief, and the movement of organizations at the international level to stop the massacre committed by the regime.
3. Providing the needed international protection for civilians, providing evacuation, away from areas that are under shelling and destruction, and helping them find a safe haven.
4. Sending Arab and international observers, instantly, to the city of Homs to oversee the situation on the ground, and prevent the regime from continuing to commit brutal massacres.
5. Documenting the crimes committed by the regime and submitting them to the International Criminal Court in preparation for the trial of those responsible.

The Syrian National Council, as it expresses its utmost condemnation of the regimes bloody practices in Homs and in the rest of Syria's cities, it confirms that the determination of our people to conquer tyranny will not relent, and that Syrians will continue their protesters of facing the murderers’ regime till they achieve victory and take possession of their uncompromised freedom and dignity.

Syrian National Council
Executive Office