The Syrian Accountability Project [9], a student-run organization composed of Syracuse University College of Law students, released its paper titled, “Covered in Dust, Veiled by Shadow: The Siege and Destruction of Aleppo” Thursday morning in the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium.
Ken Harper, director of the Newhouse Center for Global Engagement [10], led a panel of several law school students and Corri Zoli, a political science professor who is the director of research for the Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism [11]. They discussed the Battle of Aleppo, media’s coverage of it and some of the hardships in Syria that may have gone unnoticed.
“The goal of this paper was to shine light on the events that took place in this city,” said Zachary Lucas, the executive director of the Syrian Accountability Project. “…We wanted to show justice for how wonderful this city is…we wanted to peel back the veil of war over Aleppo.”
Harper began his presentation by showcasing before and after photos of Aleppo and addressing the outside perception that Syria has always been a war-torn country, when in fact it has been a magnificent city before the destruction. There were almost 5,000 incidents of violence that occurred in Aleppo, Lucas said, and some bombings occurred while funerals were going on.
In the paper, Lucas said, they point out six ways in which the sieges violated international law. There were many war crimes committed, and the city was left in so many ruins that not even the wounded could be treated.
“Almost every day in eastern Aleppo there was some kind of bombing,” Lucas said.
There was a heavy emphasis put on media coverage of the Battle of Aleppo and how that shapes the public’s view of what is going on in Syria.
On Twitter, a picture of a little girl with a sign that read, “#standwithaleppo please stop the bombing and end the siege” circulated and YouTube clips showcased events as catastrophic. However, the public may not always be getting the full picture.
“Reality is a lot more complicated than we might like it to be,” Harper said.
Zoli echoed similar sentiments. “It’s so confusing,” she said. “And at the same time it’s got so much media density around it.”
Some of the other law school students on the panel emphasized how although the Battle of Aleppo technically ended in 2016, acts of violence never cease. Just earlier this month, there was a sarin gas attack on Idlib, an area in Aleppo, and it was shocking to the students – especially since the paper focuses on how the siege of Aleppo was supposed to be the end of conflict.
Our view of Aleppo is so far from reality, Harper said, and it really requires a deep dive to understand the magnitude of violence especially because nothing can really compare to it in our lives.
“The reality of it is so far from most of our experiences,” he said. “It’s a lot to take in especially if you have no clue of what conflict really is.”
