UN rights chief: refer Syria conflict to ICC for investigation

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Dec. 2 urged the UN Security Council to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for investigation into possible crimes against humanity committed by the Syrian government. Pillay said that during the eight-month uprising the death toll in Syria has surpassed 4,000 with tens of thousands arrested and over 14,000 detained as a result of the crackdown. The Human Rights Council established an Independent International Commission of Inquiry to investigate the human rights violations in Syria during the eight-month uprising. Pillay stated:

The Commission's report documents widespread, systematic and gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms by Syrian authorities by acts such as: killing of children by beating or shooting during demonstrations, arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment. It records at least 256 deaths of children—I understand since increased to 307 children—and instances of schools being used as detention facilities, demonstrating the State's disregard for children's right to education and personal safety. The Commission collected evidence of sexual violence against civilians, especially sexual torture of male detainees and children and sexual assaults upon women in places of detention.

Pillay expressed that if the actions of the Syrian government are not stopped now, the country faces the threat of a civil war. The Syrian government has faced numerous allegations of human rights violations since March when the first anti-government protests started. On Nov. 30 the Syrian National Council, a civilian opposition group, agreed to coordinate resistance efforts with the Free Syrian Army, the main military opposition group composed of Syrian military defectors. On Nov. 28, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria reported that the Syrian Arab Republic has committed numerous human rights violations approved a draft resolution condemning the Syria's human rights violations calling for an immediate end to them. Pillay previously called for an ICC probe into the situation in Syria in August. From Jurist, Dec. 2. Used with permission. See our last posts Syria and the Arab revolutions.

  1. Right the ICCa western controlled manipulated body
    Right the ICCa western controlled manipulated body..”sigh” btw you are aware that pinheiros report was debunked and exposed by several political analysts right?you are aware of pinheiros backround?yes hes an OAS puppet!!! Yes he was a Cradoso lackey in Brasil!!!

    1. Jerk that knee!
      1. You fail to provide any links for your claims about Paulo Pinheiro.

      2. We fail to see what interest the OAS has one way or the other in Syria.

      3. If the ICC is so thoroughly “western controlled,” funny that it has pledged to investigate NATO’s Libya campaign and the NATO-backed Libyan rebels, has issued warnings to US client state Colombia, and is even attempting to gain jurisdiction over Israel to investigate its actions in Gaza. The US is still not even a member of the ICC.

      4. The call to investigate Syria has not come from the ICC itself, but from Navi Pillay, who has been dogged in her efforts to hold Bush administration figures accountable for torture, and to hold Israel accountable for its war crimes.

      5. Do you really think there aren’t horrific atrocities going on in Syria now?

      Do you wish to try again?