That the Parliament condemns ongoing pro-regime attacks on Eastern Ghouta, Syria; understands that, while exact death tolls are difficult to obtain, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights believes that more than 250 people have been killed by airstrikes, intense shelling and rocket attacks since overnight on 19 February 2018; believes that activists estimate that around 1,200 people have been injured, with more than 50 children among the dead, while a UN spokesperson has said that at least seven hospitals had been hit on 19 and 20 February; understands that the rebel-held area of Eastern Ghouta has been under siege for years by the Assad government and has been subjected to various devastating attacks over the ongoing seven-year war, such as in 2013 when the area was targeted in a chemical attack by the Syrian regime, killing more than a thousand civilians; recognises that, according to local counts, more than 700 people in the area have been killed in the last three months alone, not including those deaths in the last week; understands that prices for basic supplies have risen astronomically, with a bundle of bread now costing near 22 times the national average and that 12% of children under five are believed to be acutely malnourished; acknowledges that Amnesty International has stated that “flagrant war crimes” are being committed in Eastern Ghouta on an “epic scale”, with the Syrian Government having allowed only one humanitarian convoy into the area since late November 2017, exacerbating severe shortages of food and medical supplies; demands an end to the bombing, and backs UN calls for a permanent ceasefire to allow the wounded to be evacuated, humanitarian aid to be delivered and a political solution to be negotiated.
Supported by:
Clare Adamson, Colin Beattie, James Dornan, Jenny Gilruth, Christine Grahame, Clare Haughey, Bill Kidd, Richard Lochhead, Richard Lyle, Fulton MacGregor, Rona Mackay, John Mason, Joan McAlpine, Pauline McNeill, Ash Regan, David Torrance, Sandra White