Syrian forces are mercilessly starving civilians to death, leaving them no choice but to eat cats and dogs to survive.

Amnesty International published a 40-page report, Squeezing the Life out of Yarmouk: War Crimes Against Besieged Civilians, ahead of the third anniversary of the Syria uprising (March 15). It highlights the death of at least 128 residents of the under-siege Yarmouk district of the capital Damascus between last July and Feb. 22 this year, due to "rampant malnutrition."

In fact, the access to food and medical supplies was completely cut off last July. As a result, the civilians have not eaten fruit or vegetables for months, and the local prices have increased drastically. The residents have inevitably been forced to forage for food in the streets or fields, risking their lives of being killed by Syrian army snipers as they scour for anything that might be edible, such as cactus and dandelion leaves. The more horrifying reality is that some have been even poisoned after eating cats, dogs, or inedible plants.

"Syrian forces are committing war crimes by using starvation of civilians as a weapon of war," said Philip Luther, the director of Amnesty International Middle East and North Africa.

Also, the existing government forces and their allies have repeatedly carried out deadly attacks, such as air raids and shelling with heavy weapons, on Yarmouk's civilian buildings, including schools, hospitals and mosques. At least 150 people have been arrested under the siege since April 2011 with more than 80 still in detention as of last week.

Amnesty International is calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all those detained solely for their political opinions or identity, amidst the catastrophic humanitarian crisis with estimated up to 20,000 still trapped in the targeted district.