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The UN General Assembly (UNGA) must step in to fill the void left by the Security Council members' catastrophic failure to end relentless attacks targeting the civilian population in eastern Aleppo city, said Amnesty International ahead of a UNGA meeting later today.
The organization has released new satellite imagery illustrating the scale of destruction, as well as testimony from civilians trapped in the city, providing evidence that Syrian government forces, with Russian support, have callously attacked residential homes, medical facilities, schools, markets and mosques as part of a deliberate military strategy to empty the city of its inhabitants and seize control. In some cases there is evidence that Russian-made cluster munitions were used in attacks.
"The world's inaction in the face of the continuing carnage and blatant violations in Aleppo city must end. The UN General Assembly must show it can act where the Security Council has so catastrophically failed - the credibility of the UN is at stake," said Lynn Maalouf, Deputy Director for Research at Amnesty International's Beirut regional office.
"The scale of the bloodshed and destruction wrought on eastern Aleppo city over the past month is harrowing. Syrian government forces, with the support of Russia, have launched relentless attacks that have flagrantly disregarded fundamental rules of international humanitarian law.
The world's inaction in the face of the continuing carnage and blatant violations in Aleppo city must endLynn Maalouf, Deputy Director for Research in Amnesty International Middle East and North Africa Regional Office
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"The woefully inadequate eight-hour pause in bombing announced by Russia is no substitute for unimpeded access for impartial humanitarian relief and an end to unlawful attacks. Member states must use today's meeting to demand a lifting of the siege, an end to unlawful attacks, and to push for concrete measures to bring those responsible for war crimes to justice."
Many of Aleppo's remaining civilians live in constant fear of daily attacks. Soha, a local activist, described to Amnesty International how she takes her seven-month-old baby with her everywhere she goes as she is terrified of losing him.
"Every time I see a woman or child injured, I think it could have been me and my son. Nowhere is safe in Aleppo city, every one of us is a target," she said.
Nowhere is safe in Aleppo city, every one of us is a targetSoha, resident of eastern Aleppo
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Siham, whose four-year-old daughter was killed in the recent bombardment, described the pain of her loss to Amnesty International. Her husband was detained by government forces in 2012 before their daughter was born.
"I have lived all my life in Aleppo city... I lost [my daughter] six days ago. A bomb fell in front of the building where she was playing. I can't remember the last words she told me... I lost her just like that for nothing...absolutely nothing. I wish I had died with her."
The diplomatic deadlock has seen the UN Security Council paralysed as the civilian death toll in Aleppo rises by the day.
Russia, with support from China, has repeatedly wielded its veto power to block any action that would see the Syrian government held accountable for grave violations, including war crimes. Less than two weeks ago a French UN draft resolution calling for an end to attacks on civilians in Aleppo failed after a Russian veto.
Seventy countries called for today's plenary meeting sending a clear message that inaction at the Security Council must be addressed. Member states must call for an emergency session on the crisis and support all initiatives at the UNGA to bring an end to the cycle of war crimes in Syria. Imposing targeted sanctions on Syrian officials and a comprehensive arms embargo are two measures that could also help pressure the Syrian government to end violations of international humanitarian law.
The bombing of eastern Aleppo has intensified drastically since the collapse of the latest ceasefire on 19 September. At least 600 aerial attacks were carried out in the space of three weeks in the period up until the 10 October, according to the Syrian Institute for Justice and Accountability, a local monitoring group. Aleppo's Health Directorate estimates around 400 civilians were killed in these attacks.
Satellite imagery analyzed by Amnesty International reveals that in just one week, 90 locations were damaged or destroyed in an area roughly the size of Manhattan, New York City. Overall more than 110 locations were damaged between 18 September and 1 October 2016.
Within an area of 65 km between 18 September and 1 October more than 110 areas of damage were detected in eastern Aleppo. In just one week between 18 September and 25 September 90 locations were damaged. (c) Digital Globe 2016
Amnesty International documented a series of attacks over the past three weeks which appear to be aimed at decimating civilian life in Aleppo city.
Researchers from the organization spoke to residents, medical workers and activists who are trapped and who described a drastic deterioration in the humanitarian situation, amidst daily air strikes targeting civilian homes and infrastructure, including medical facilities, a market, a school, electricity and water company. The areas struck were all located away from military targets such as the battle frontline, military checkpoints or vehicles.
"Syrian government forces claim to be attacking non-state armed groups but the real objective is clear: to inflict severe suffering on the civilian population in order to drive them out. The world continues to stand by as this pattern is repeated over and over throughout Syria," said Lynn Maalouf.
According to the Syrian American Medical Society, 14 medical facilities have been hit by air strikes since 21 September, putting many of them out of service. Doctors have been struggling to cope with an influx of large numbers of casualties in need of emergency medical treatment - at one point, 800 wounded patients needing care were recorded in one week.
One eyewitness described to Amnesty International an attack on al-Sakhour hospital on 3 October. A bomb fell at the hospital entrance leaving behind a large crater and partially destroying a nearby field hospital. It was the third attack on the hospital that day, he said:
"I arrived at al-Sakhour hospital three hours after the attack had happened... I saw 10 injured and four killed... The injured included two of the hospital's medical staff...The closest frontline is around 300 meters away."
A doctor in Aleppo city told Amnesty International that supplies, equipment and fuel were fast running out because of the siege.
"In Aleppo city, residents fear living or being in or around a hospital because we have become a target for the regime," he said.
"Deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian objects are serious violations of international humanitarian law and amount to war crimes. The pattern of attacks targeting the civilian population, buildings and infrastructure of eastern Aleppo provides clear evidence that this is part of a calculated military strategy to make life unbearable for civilians and to empty the city by force," said Lynn Maalouf
Several residents also told Amnesty International that they had witnessed attacks using internationally banned cluster munitions, bombs that scatter scores of submunitions over a wide area posing a major threat to civilians.
Amnesty International reviewed images showing remnants of cluster bombs and submunitions in civilian areas of eastern Aleppo over the past three weeks and consulted independent weapons experts who identified these as Russian made AO-2.5RT submunitions or the very similar AO-2.5RTM, along with remnants of the RBK-500 cluster bomb from which they are dispensed.
Cluster munition remnants in eastern Aleppo city (c)Private
Fadi, was getting into a car at a busy market in Zebdie district with his friend on 25 September when a warplane dropped two cluster bombs. He and his friend were both struck by shrapnel. "All I remember after that was the feeling of agonizing pain in my leg and hip. I kept hearing small explosions... People were lying on the ground. Some crawling and others not moving," he said.
Majed, another survivor was at the same market in Zebdie which is around 500 metres away from the nearest front line when the attack took place. He recalls hearing the sound of small explosions before he woke up on the ground in shock covered in blood and surrounded by wounded people. Two pieces of shrapnel were lodged in his leg.
Osama also witnessed a cluster bomb attack on the same day as he was driving an injured friend from al-Mashhad neighbourhood to the hospital.
"I heard the sound of a warplane and then the [car's] window pane shattered on top of us. I heard a series of small explosions that went on for almost a minute... More than 40 people were injured," he said.
"The use of cluster munitions is banned under international law because they are inherently indiscriminate and, due to their high dud-rate, pose a long-lasting threat to civilians. Their apparent use in eastern Aleppo city is just further evidence of how determined Syrian government forces and their
Russian allies are to create a hostile and deadly environment in the city, clearly aimed at driving civilians out at any cost," said Lynn Maalouf.
"The scale of the bloodshed and destruction wrought on eastern Aleppo city over the past month is harrowing. Syrian government forces, with the support of Russia, have launched relentless attacks that have flagrantly disregarded fundamental rules of international humanitarian law.
"The woefully inadequate eight-hour pause in bombing announced by Russia is no substitute for unimpeded access for impartial humanitarian relief and an end to unlawful attacks. Member states must use today's meeting to demand a lifting of the siege, an end to unlawful attacks, and to push for concrete measures to bring those responsible for war crimes to justice."
Many of Aleppo's remaining civilians live in constant fear of daily attacks. Soha, a local activist, described to Amnesty International how she takes her seven-month-old baby with her everywhere she goes as she is terrified of losing him.
"Every time I see a woman or child injured, I think it could have been me and my son. Nowhere is safe in Aleppo city, every one of us is a target," she said.
Siham, whose four-year-old daughter was killed in the recent bombardment, described the pain of her loss to Amnesty International. Her husband was detained by government forces in 2012 before their daughter was born.
"I have lived all my life in Aleppo city... I lost [my daughter] six days ago. A bomb fell in front of the building where she was playing. I can't remember the last words she told me... I lost her just like that for nothing...absolutely nothing. I wish I had died with her."
The diplomatic deadlock has seen the UN Security Council paralysed as the civilian death toll in Aleppo rises by the day.
Russia, with support from China, has repeatedly wielded its veto power to block any action that would see the Syrian government held accountable for grave violations, including war crimes. Less than two weeks ago a French UN draft resolution calling for an end to attacks on civilians in Aleppo failed after a Russian veto.
Seventy countries called for today's plenary meeting sending a clear message that inaction at the Security Council must be addressed. Member states must call for an emergency session on the crisis and support all initiatives at the UNGA to bring an end to the cycle of war crimes in Syria. Imposing targeted sanctions on Syrian officials and a comprehensive arms embargo are two measures that could also help pressure the Syrian government to end violations of international humanitarian law.
The bombing of eastern Aleppo has intensified drastically since the collapse of the latest ceasefire on 19 September. At least 600 aerial attacks were carried out in the space of three weeks in the period up until the 10 October, according to the Syrian Institute for Justice and Accountability, a local monitoring group. Aleppo's Health Directorate estimates around 400 civilians were killed in these attacks.
Satellite imagery analyzed by Amnesty International reveals that in just one week, 90 locations were damaged or destroyed in an area roughly the size of Manhattan, New York City. Overall more than 110 locations were damaged between 18 September and 1 October 2016.
Amnesty International documented a series of attacks over the past three weeks which appear to be aimed at decimating civilian life in Aleppo city.
Researchers from the organization spoke to residents, medical workers and activists who are trapped and who described a drastic deterioration in the humanitarian situation, amidst daily air strikes targeting civilian homes and infrastructure, including medical facilities, a market, a school, electricity and water company. The areas struck were all located away from military targets such as the battle frontline, military checkpoints or vehicles.
"Syrian government forces claim to be attacking non-state armed groups but the real objective is clear: to inflict severe suffering on the civilian population in order to drive them out. The world continues to stand by as this pattern is repeated over and over throughout Syria," said Lynn Maalouf.
According to the Syrian American Medical Society, 14 medical facilities have been hit by air strikes since 21 September, putting many of them out of service. Doctors have been struggling to cope with an influx of large numbers of casualties in need of emergency medical treatment - at one point, 800 wounded patients needing care were recorded in one week.
One eyewitness described to Amnesty International an attack on al-Sakhour hospital on 3 October. A bomb fell at the hospital entrance leaving behind a large crater and partially destroying a nearby field hospital. It was the third attack on the hospital that day, he said:
"I arrived at al-Sakhour hospital three hours after the attack had happened... I saw 10 injured and four killed... The injured included two of the hospital's medical staff...The closest frontline is around 300 meters away."
A doctor in Aleppo city told Amnesty International that supplies, equipment and fuel were fast running out because of the siege.
"In Aleppo city, residents fear living or being in or around a hospital because we have become a target for the regime," he said.
"Deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian objects are serious violations of international humanitarian law and amount to war crimes. The pattern of attacks targeting the civilian population, buildings and infrastructure of eastern Aleppo provides clear evidence that this is part of a calculated military strategy to make life unbearable for civilians and to empty the city by force," said Lynn Maalouf
Several residents also told Amnesty International that they had witnessed attacks using internationally banned cluster munitions, bombs that scatter scores of submunitions over a wide area posing a major threat to civilians.
Amnesty International reviewed images showing remnants of cluster bombs and submunitions in civilian areas of eastern Aleppo over the past three weeks and consulted independent weapons experts who identified these as Russian made AO-2.5RT submunitions or the very similar AO-2.5RTM, along with remnants of the RBK-500 cluster bomb from which they are dispensed.
Fadi, was getting into a car at a busy market in Zebdie district with his friend on 25 September when a warplane dropped two cluster bombs. He and his friend were both struck by shrapnel. "All I remember after that was the feeling of agonizing pain in my leg and hip. I kept hearing small explosions... People were lying on the ground. Some crawling and others not moving," he said.
Majed, another survivor was at the same market in Zebdie which is around 500 metres away from the nearest front line when the attack took place. He recalls hearing the sound of small explosions before he woke up on the ground in shock covered in blood and surrounded by wounded people. Two pieces of shrapnel were lodged in his leg.
Osama also witnessed a cluster bomb attack on the same day as he was driving an injured friend from al-Mashhad neighbourhood to the hospital.
"I heard the sound of a warplane and then the [car's] window pane shattered on top of us. I heard a series of small explosions that went on for almost a minute... More than 40 people were injured," he said.
"The use of cluster munitions is banned under international law because they are inherently indiscriminate and, due to their high dud-rate, pose a long-lasting threat to civilians. Their apparent use in eastern Aleppo city is just further evidence of how determined Syrian government forces and their
Russian allies are to create a hostile and deadly environment in the city, clearly aimed at driving civilians out at any cost," said Lynn Maalouf.
Amnesty International is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights for all. Our supporters are outraged by human rights abuses but inspired by hope for a better world - so we work to improve human rights through campaigning and international solidarity. We have more than 2.2 million members and subscribers in more than 150 countries and regions and we coordinate this support to act for justice on a wide range of issues.
"It's official: Eric Adams' shameless campaign to avoid legal accountability for corruption has succeeded," said one member of the New York State Assembly.
New York officials, lawmakers, and activists expressed fury on Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump's Justice Department instructed prosecutors to drop federal charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a move seen as an overtly corrupt deal aimed at giving the White House free rein to attack the city's immigrant communities.
In a letter sent on Monday, the Trump Justice Department instructed federal prosecutors to "dismiss the pending charges" against Adams, which include several counts of bribery, fraud, and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations.
The letter, sent by Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, states that the Justice Department reached its decision to call for an end to the case against Adams "without assessing the strength of the evidence or legal theories on which the case is based."
Instead, the Justice Department claimed the pending prosecution of Adams "unduly restricted" his "ability to devote full attention and resources" to cooperating with the Trump administration's anti-immigrant agenda. Attorney Luppe B. Luppen called the letter "one of the most openly corrupt writings I've seen on DOJ letterhead," adding that "it's comically, transparently a political favor, and the quid pro quo is utterly explicit."
Jumaane Williams, New York City's public advocate, said in a statement Tuesday that the Justice Department's directive shows Adams "adopted a strategy of selling out marginalized New Yorkers and our city's values to avoid personal and legal accountability."
"The mayor has always had the presumption of innocence—something he has rarely extended to the New Yorkers he's detained on Rikers pre-trial, or wanted deported based on accusations," Williams continued. "He said he wanted his day in court, but instead sidestepped that system using the privilege and power that so few people have access to. This is obscene and obvious—the White House doesn't want to lose their deputy in New York City."
"Eric Adams sold out New Yorkers to buy his own freedom, but he'll never escape the label of worst mayor in NYC history."
The DOJ's directive came in the wake of reports that Adams ordered top New York City officials to refrain from criticizing Trump or interfering with his mass deportation efforts. According to the local independent news outlet The City, Adams instructed his commissioners "to not be critical of the president or federal government on social media" and to "stop complaining about President Trump and move on because he was elected."
"The mayor has said he won't publicly criticize the president and has refused to criticize Trump's statements or actions when pressed by reporters," The City reported. "Trump said in December he would 'look at' potentially pardoning Adams, whose federal corruption trial is set to begin in April. It's fueled speculation that the mayor is acting chiefly to obtain a pardon or dropped charges from the president, even as Trump threatened to withhold crucial funding from the city."
New York State Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani (D-36), who is running in the 2025 New York City mayoral race,
said in response to the Trump DOJ's directive that "it's official: Eric Adams' shameless campaign to avoid legal accountability for corruption has succeeded."
"In the midst of a right-wing billionaire assault on the working class of our city, he sold us out for another personal favor," said Mamdani. "Election Day can't come soon enough."
People hold up a sign as Mayor Eric Adams speaks during the New York Public Library on January 30, 2025 in New York City. (Photo: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Politiconoted Monday that the DOJ's order "continues an emerging pattern of the administration of President Donald Trump dropping politically charged criminal cases he inherited when resuming the White House last month." The outlet added that it's an "open question" whether Dale Ho, the judge presiding over the Adams case, has any power to resist the Trump administration's push to drop the charges.
"While some legal experts said Ho's hands are tied," Politico observed, "others believe he could outright refuse."
New York State Sen. Jessica Ramos (D-13) wrote late Monday that "Eric Adams sold out New Yorkers to buy his own freedom, but he'll never escape the label of worst mayor in NYC history."
"Donald Trump may think this buys him access to terrorize our communities," Ramos added, "but New Yorkers always stand up for one another, no matter how many corrupt narcissists try to hurt our families."
"Nothing says corruption like firing the top ethics cop on the beat," said Public Citizen co-president Lisa Gilbert.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday fired the director of the Office of Government Ethics as his administration—packed with billionaires and riddled with conflicts of interest—abandons even the pretense of opposing corruption and lawlessness, a course underscored by the Justice Department's push to drop bribery charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
The removal of OGE chief David Huitema was announced in a brief statement on the office's website, which was inaccessible as of Tuesday morning.
Huitema, who was confirmed by the Senate at the tail-end of former President Joe Biden's term, "has been heavily involved in resolving conflicts of interest with Trump's nominees," Government Executive's Eric Katz reported Monday.
"Nothing says corruption like firing the top ethics cop on the beat," Public Citizen co-president Lisa Gilbert said in a statement Monday. "Consistent with the corporate conflicts, massive wealth, and Big Tech bro connections, the incoming administration continues to exploit all avenues to increase their ability to profit off of public service."
"The administration has halted foreign corrupt practices enforcement, is operating without a strong ethics executive order to rein in the revolving door, rolled back disclosure of lobbying by foreign agents, and has now removed a qualified ethics leader," Gilbert added. "The Trump swamp is growing."
"By all indications, Trump is planning to run a lawless administration and these unprecedented moves are an alarming first step to put those plans into action."
The OGE director was the latest victim of Trump's firing spree, which has targeted independent inspectors general, labor board officials, and the head of an office tasked with protecting whistleblowers. Some of the officials Trump has removed or attempted to remove are refusing to comply or fighting back in court, citing federal legal protections.
Donald Sherman, executive director and chief counsel of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), said in a statement that "by firing the head of the Office of Government Ethics, President Trump is continuing his purge of any independent officials tasked with holding him and his administration accountable to the law and ethical standards."
"This follows his firing of the head of the Office of Special Counsel and 17 inspectors general," said Sherman. "Together, these actions will streamline any efforts he and his administration make to personally profit, install loyalists, and avoid oversight of corruption and waste. By all indications, Trump is planning to run a lawless administration and these unprecedented moves are an alarming first step to put those plans into action."
Following news of Huitema's firing, Trump's Justice Department—led by a former corporate lobbyist—ordered federal prosecutors to drop their corruption case against Adams, a Democrat who was charged late last year with wire fraud, bribery, and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations.
As The Associated Pressreported, the Justice Department claimed the case against Adams was interfering with his "ability to aid" Trump's anti-immigrant agenda.
"Rather than restricting cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as Adams once promised, he has expressed a willingness to roll back the city's so-called sanctuary policies and pledged not to publicly criticize a president whose policies he once described as 'abusive,'" AP noted.
The move to drop federal charges against Adams comes after Trump signed an executive order instructing the Justice Department to halt enforcement of a decades-old law barring U.S. companies from bribing foreign officials.
"Don't let this get swept under the rug," CREW said in response to the order.
"Palestine is not just an idea—it is a place. It is a homeland to the Palestinian people," the coalition wrote.
A coalition of over 100 organizations on Monday forcefully denounced U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip of Palestinians and take over the coastal enclave recently decimated by an Israeli military campaign conducted with American weapons.
Led by A New Policy—a group founded by Biden administration officials who resigned in protest—and the Quaker organization Friends Committee on National Legislation, the coalition said that "we are deeply alarmed by President Trump's recent statements, tracing them back to January 25, just days after the Republican returned to power.
"We, the undersigned organizations, decry and oppose any effort or initiative, and any calls for, the forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, and support the joint statement of Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, the Palestinian Authority, and the Arab League that similarly rejected any such steps, the coalition wrote, citing the Fourth Geneva Convention.
The letter highlights the ethnic cleansing of Palestine in the 1940s during the formation of the modern state of Israel, which Palestinians call the Nakba, Arabic for catastrophe; that since 2006, Gaza "has been in a state of siege," with residents enduring repeated bombardment and restrictions on necessities; and that since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, they have faced what various experts have found to be a plausible case of genocide, with over 48,000 people killed.
"Through this all, the Palestinians in Gaza have stood with remarkable dignity and perseverance, insisting throughout the immense suffering and loss that they will never abandon their homeland," the letter continues, echoing recent remarks from residents. "We are deeply concerned by clear statements of intent from Israeli government officials over the past year concerning the creation of new Israeli settlements within the Gaza Strip, which further reinforce the intent of ethnic cleansing."
"The United States has no right to dictate to the Palestinian people in Gaza to leave, and direct other countries to participate in their displacement. We are also aware that even a temporary external displacement could be used by Israel to enact permanent exile," the letter says. "While we agree that the short and medium-term humanitarian needs of the people of Gaza may be difficult to meet given the nearly complete destruction that Israel has wrought, if the necessary services cannot be provided in Gaza, the people of Gaza must be able to access them elsewhere within the historic borders of Palestine and must be able to return."
The coalition also expressed alarm over "an uptick in settler violence" and deadly Israel Defense Forces operations in the illegally occupied West Bank, writing that "these actions are part and parcel of a strategy that seeks to make not just Gaza, but all Palestinian areas across historic Palestine, unlivable for the Palestinian people, and are thus contributory to a process of ethnic cleansing."
"Palestine is not just an idea—it is a place. It is a homeland to the Palestinian people," the groups stressed. "To participate in, facilitate, or endorse their removal from it would violate every precept of international law, devastate the rules-based international order that protects us all, do irreversible harm to America's global influence, and be an act of unconscionable immorality."
The letter concludes with a poem from Palestinian Mahmoud Darwish, who wrote:
My country is not a suitcase
I am not a traveler
I am the lover and the land is the beloved.
The archaeologist is busy analyzing stones.
In the rubble of legends he searches for his own eyes
to show
that I am a sightless vagrant on the road
with not one letter in civilization's alphabet.
Meanwhile in my own time I plant my trees.
I sing of my love.
In addition to the coalition leaders, signatories to the letter include ActionAid USA, CodePink, Democracy for the Arab World Now, Demand Progress Education Fund, Democratic Socialists of America, IfNotNow Movement, Just Foreign Policy, Madre, National Iranian American Council, Oil Change International, Peace Action, Progressive Democrats of America, and September 11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, and U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights.
The letter came amid a fresh wave of alarm over Trump's latest comments about Gaza and Palestinians, which aired Monday morning on "Fox & Friends." He said: "We'll build safe communities a little bit away from where they are, where all of this danger is. In the meantime, I would own this—think of it as a real estate development for the future. It would be a beautiful piece of land."
Asked by Fox News' Bret Baier whether Palestinians would have the right to return to Gaza, the president said, "No, they wouldn't."
The letter also came as Hamas on Monday suspended its next planned release of hostages taken in October 2023, citing Israel's deadly violations of a fragile cease-fire deal that took effect last month.