Members of the Syrian community this morning held a peaceful protest outside the law courts in Valletta in which they condemned the ongoing siege on the Syrian north-western city of Aleppo, “in which hundreds of innocent civilians have been massacred over the last two weeks”.

In a note distributed to the media, the Syrian community said since 21 April, Syrian and Russian warplanes have targeted civilian infrastructure in Aleppo, including hospitals, mosques and market places. Some 250 were killed in these attacks.

The community expressed its solidarity with the Aleppo people, and said international humanitarian and human rights laws must be upheld. About 500,000 people have been killed since the civil war started in Syria five years ago.

The Syrian community called for the complete cessation of hostilities and urged the international community to ensure humanitarian aid reaches the Syrian people in distress.

Photos and video Jonathan Borg