A/HRC/22/59 34. There are reasonable grounds to believe that the protracted campaign of shelling on Mare’a has been indiscriminate and in violation of the law of armed conflict. B. Dara’a governorate Dara’a city 35. By late October, the shelling of Dara’a city had become unbearable for many residents. Interviewees cited the intensity of the shelling as the main reason they fled to Jordan. Multiple interviews documented incidents in August and November where Government snipers, positioned around Dara’a city, targeted and killed civilians, often when civilians were in walking in large crowds. In one incident on 24 August at 15:30, an unarmed man, wearing civilian clothes, was hit by sniper fire while participating in a peaceful demonstration. In another incident, on 30 November, civilians were hit by sniper fire while returning from Friday prayers at mosque at 11:30. Late at night, civilians were shot who violated the curfew. One victim of sniper fire in Dara’a was able to identify the sniper by name and noted that the sniper appeared to have license to “shoot whenever he wants.” Other interviewees confirmed that “snipers stay in their positions for months.” Several of the cases indicated that snipers had fired on people who were clearly engaged in civilian activities. Bosra 36. The town of Bosra has been subjected to heavy shelling and aerial bombardment since late August. Several interviewees who were witnesses to the bombardment of Bosra described how “barrel bombs” were dropped on civilian gatherings, such as a funeral procession that was held in early September. The bombs were dropped from such a height as to make accurate targeting impossible. 37. Interviewees have described that in response to the presence of anti-Government armed groups in Bosra, Government forces have shelled the town without discriminating between those groups and civilian objectives. The humanitarian condition of Bosra and the occupation and targeting of Old Bosra Castle, addressed in the section on specifically protected objects and persons, are also of concern. Interviewees relayed accounts of how family members were targeted and killed by snipers positioned within Old Bosra Castle. 38. The documented instance of the bombardment of a funeral procession is in violation of the principle of distinction under international humanitarian law. The method, namely the use of a “barrel bomb” from a high altitude, demonstrates a failure to take all feasible precautions in attack. Firing on civilian gatherings has been adjudicated as an example of violence aimed at spreading terror among the civilian population, in violation of the laws of armed conflict. Mhajjah 39. The shelling of Mhajjah began on 10 August and intensified in late September and early October in the lead up towards a ground attack on 14 October. According to interviewees, the town was shelled as retaliation against defectors. Victims described how they and their family members were injured by mortar fire and shrapnel while they were in their homes. One interviewee, whose wife and two nephews were killed when a shell hit their home at 22:00, said that Mhajjah was shelled daily between 20:00 and 24:00 and that the shelling was “random.” 40. The accounts collected by the commission indicate that the shelling of Mhajjah amounted to a protracted campaign of indiscriminate and widespread shelling, during GE.13-10627 93