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Photo: Peter Williams/WCC, Syria, 2005.

Photo: Peter Williams/WCC, Syria, 2005.

This news release is also available in Arabic.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit issued on 6 May a statement urging the international community to put an end to the “culture of impunity” in Syria. The statement comes on the heels of news reports from Syria of an air strike that targeted the Kammouneh Syrian refugee camp, killing at least 28 people and severely injuring dozens of others.

“This outrage can in no way be considered as a military operation targeting armed groups, but clearly amounts to a war crime,” reads the statement. “This atrocity follows a tragic escalation of violence in Aleppo, where six hospitals have reportedly been deliberately shelled, leaving hundreds of people killed and wounded - among them babies, children, doctors and medical personnel.

The WCC underscored its long-held belief that all governments have an obligation to protect the lives and dignity of their citizens, and to protect their human rights and fundamental freedoms.

“This escalation of extreme violence is ethically unconscionable and condemnable especially when so many innocent and vulnerable people are targeted in this way,” reads the statement.

“The World Council of Churches, together with the churches in our fellowship, prays that our Lord receives all the victims in Syria in His mercy, and keeps their families and beloved ones in His Love, granting them courage and patience in their grieving. ”

Related links:

Full text of the statement

UNICEF Syria appeal social media materials

WCC member churches in Syria

WCC activities in solidarity with churches in the Middle East