HRW: Syria Regime Razed Homes as 'Collective Punishment'

Syria's government has razed thousands of homes as "collective punishment" of communities that back the opposition in the capital Damascus and in Hama province, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday.

In a new report, the group accused Syria's government of "wiping entire neighborhoods off the map" by means of bulldozers and explosives.

"These unlawful demolitions are the latest additions to a long list of crimes committed by the Syrian government," said HRW's emergencies researcher Ole Solvang.

The New York-based group said it had documented seven cases between July 2012 and July 2013 -- two in Hama province in central Syria and five in and around Damascus.

Using satellite imagery, the group said it estimated a total area of at least 140 hectares -- around 200 football fields -- had been razed.

But it pointed out that many of the buildings demolished were several stories high, and resulted in thousands of people losing their homes.

The group said the areas affected all appeared to be opposition strongholds, and said there was little evidence to back government claims that the demolitions were part of urban planning efforts.

"The demolitions were supervised by military forces and often followed fighting in the areas between government and opposition forces," the group said.

"As far as Human Rights Watch has been able to determine, there have been no similar demolitions in areas that generally support the government."

Local residents told HRW that they were given little or no warning before the demolitions, and received no compensation.

A restaurant owner in the Qabun district in northeast Damascus told the group that he was forced to leave the scene of the demolition and threatened with detention.

"Before my eyes, all of my family's hard work was destroyed in one second," he told HRW.

Solvang said "no one should be fooled by the government's claim that it is undertaking urban planning in the middle of a bloody conflict."

"This was collective punishment of communities suspected of supporting the rebellion," he added.

"The U.N. Security Council should, with an International Criminal Court referral, send a clear message that cover-ups and government impunity won't stand in the way of justice for victims."

More than 130,000 people have been killed since Syria's conflict began in March 2011. Millions have been displaced inside the country or fled across its border becoming refugees.