NEW YORK: The top UN human rights official said Monday that crimes against humanity have likely been committed in the bloody crackdown on dissidents in Syria.“The nature and scale of abuses committed by Syrian forces indicate that crimes against humanity are likely to have been committed since March 2011,” High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay told the General Assembly. “The risk of a humanitarian crisis throughout Syria is rising,” warned Pillay in the UN address.
“The failure of the Security Council to agree on firm collective action appears to have emboldened the Syrian government to launch an all-out assault in an effort to crush dissent with overwhelming force,” Pillay added.
PillayÂ’s speech to the 193-nation assembly came after Syrian UN Ambassador Bashar JaÂ’afari, backed by delegates from Iran and North Korea, tried unsuccessfully to block her from addressing UN delegations by citing procedural arguments.
“I am particularly appalled by the ongoing onslaught on Homs,” Pillay said, noting that Assad’s forces have been using tanks, mortars and artillery in the assault on the city.
“According to credible accounts, the Syrian army has shelled densely populated neighborhoods of Homs in what appears to be an indiscriminate attack on civilian areas,” Pillay said.
It is difficult to establish how many people have died in the Syrian conflict, though the figure was more than 5,400 and was rising every day, she said.
“More than 300 people have reportedly been killed in the city (of Homs) since the start of this assault 10 days ago,” Pillay said.
She reiterated her hope that the Security Council would refer the Syrian repression to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, as it did in the case of Libya last year. But council envoys say veto-holders Russia and China oppose that.
Syrian UN Ambassador Bashar JaÂ’afari, backed by delegates from Iran and North Korea, tried unsuccessfully to block Pillay from addressing the UN delegations by citing procedural arguments. JaÂ’afari accused the Qatari president of the General Assembly, Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, of political bias against Syria and rejected PillayÂ’s allegations against Damascus.
“After today how can we trust the high commissioner for human rights on issues related to defending and promoting human rights?” he said, accusing Pillay of adopting an “unprincipled (stance) against the Syrian government.”
Ja’afari said Syria has been trying to establish security and stability “in exercise of its exclusive right to protect its citizens.”
He charged that some UN member states were helping Al-Qaeda launch attacks in Syria against the government.
“How can the United Nations combat the terrorism of Al-Qaeda, wearing one hat, while at the same time some of its member states are financing, providing succor, indeed sending combatants from Al-Qaeda to commit terrorist acts in Syria?“
Pillay told reporters the United Nations was seeking information related to the Syrian allegation about Al-Qaeda.
Libyan UN envoy Ibrahim Dabbashi predicted that “the Syrian despots will meet the same destiny” as Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, who was killed last year by rebels who overthrew his government.
| We can only hope... |