No: 160, 07 June 2012, Press Release Regarding the Increase in the Acts of Violence against the Civilian Population in Syria

We condemn in the strongest terms and deplore the attacks against the civilian population by regime forces and “shebbiha” militias in Syria which have intensified dramatically over the last days and, in this context, the massacre of 102 innocent civilians, including many children and women, as a result of the mass murder they committed yesterday (6 June) at the Al- Qubayr farm in the village of Maarzaf in Hama.

We wish God's mercy upon our Syrian brothers and sisters who lost their lives, extend our condolences to their bereaved families and wish a speedy recovery to those wounded in this horrendous act which was committed while the agony in our hearts by the memory of the bloody Houla massacre of 25 May is yet to be healed and which coincided with the 30th anniversary of the massacre of Hama where tens of thousands of people were butchered without discrimination in 1982, leaving a black stain in the history of humanity.

This latest massacre, which has left a deep scar on the conscience of humanity, has clearly revealed once again that the regime is targeting the Syrian people as a whole without making any distinction between children, women and the elderly, and committing a crime against humanity. Crimes perpetrated by those who commit mass murders against civilians cannot go unpunished. It is the joint conscientious responsibility of the international community to put an end to this course of events.

The dimensions of the violence which the people of Syria are subjected to have reached such a stage that amplifies the necessity to initiate immediately the process of transition to democracy in line with the legitimate demands of the people.

In the face of the developments in Syria, the prominent representatives of the international community, who met in Istanbul on 6 June 2012 in the framework of the Global Counterterrorism Forum, discussed additional steps including further support for the people of Syria and coordination on an effective and credible transition process that leads to a democratic, post-Assad Syria.

Turkey will continue to work in solidarity with the international community and the people of Syria, towards stopping the repression of the Syrian regime before it takes more innocent lives.