Report: U.N. Covered up Killing of Aid Workers by Assad Regime

The United Nations covered up the murder of two aid workers by the Assad regime in Syria in 2016, the Jerusalem Post reported on Thursday.

According to the report, a nearly year-long investigation revealed the U.N. purposely held back from publicizing the death of the two humanitarian workers, who were part of a relief convoy between Aleppo and Homs, by the Syrian army.

The report cited Mohammad Al Abdallah, the executive director of the Washington-based Syrian Justice and Accountability Centre, as saying that the United Nations had forged a “poisoned and unhealthy” relationship with the Damascus government.

According to Abdallah, the Syrian regime gave the U.N. access to operate in certain areas in exchange for concealing its violations.

The U.N. further deleted any content on its website surrounding the killings after facing questions, including a video of a press conference that took place in Geneva on April 28, 2016, when an Arabic translator noted the death of one person during an aid mission.

A U.N.  official in Syria, speaking on condition of anonymity, said an internal report about the death of the aid workers was sent on April 25, 2016.

The report said: “Humanitarian convoy affected by shelling on the road to Homs. Due to the clashes and shelling, a planned inter-cluster humanitarian convoy was restricted. Reports on casualties and two humanitarian workers have been killed.”

The Post’s report was jointly published with the U.S. government-affiliated Arabic-language news organization Alhurra, where a longer version of the investigation into alleged U.N. corruption appeared.