2 August 2011

UN HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF SAYS WORLD IS WATCHING CARNAGE IN
SYRIA

GENEVA – UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay
on Tuesday warned Syrian authorities that the world is bearing witness to the
grave violence being perpetrated against the Syrian people, and urged them to
stop the bloodshed.

She expressed serious alarm at reports that at least 145
people have been killed and many others injured since Friday. At least 120
individuals are reported to have been killed in Hama through the use of tanks,
shelling and heavy machine guns. Several others have been killed in Deir Ez
Zur, suburbs of Damascus and other towns and cities across Syria. The exact
death toll may be considerably higher.

“The Government has been trying to keep the world blind
about the alarming situation in the country by refusing access to foreign
journalists, independent human rights groups and to the fact-finding mission
mandated by the Human Rights Council,” Ms. Pillay said.

“But they are not succeeding. The world is watching and the
international community is gravely concerned. I stand in solidarity with
peaceful protestors who are demanding that the persistent violation of their
human rights ends now. I also stand in solidarity with the families of all the
victims who have lost their lives since the crackdown began, and condemn in the
strongest terms the reprehensible violence this Government is using against its
own people.”

Ms. Pillay called for the violence to stop immediately and
for humanitarian actors to be granted access without delay.

“The Government has an obligation to protect its citizens.
The use of force in restoring law and order must be an option of the last
resort, but it appears that it is being used as a measure of first response to
demonstrations in Syria,” she said.

“I again urge the Government to allow the fact-finding
mission into the country to assess the situation first-hand,” she added.

According to information received by the UN human rights
office, in addition to the killings there have been dozens of arbitrary
detentions across the country, including of human rights defenders whose rights
to freedom of expression and assembly have already been violently suppressed.

“It is high time that we work towards accountability for
perpetrators of human rights violations in Syria in recent months,” the High
Commissioner said. “There is a need for an international, transparent,
independent and prompt investigation into the violence, the killings, the
excessive use of force, the arbitrary arrests, ill-treatment and torture that
the people of Syria have been subjected to.”

OHCHR Country Page – Syrian Arab Republic http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/MENARegion/Pages/SYIndex.aspx

For more information and media requests please contact
Ravina Shamdasani (+ 41 22 917 9310 / rshamdasani@ohchr.org) or Xabier Celaya:
(+ 41 22 917 9383 / xcelaya@ohchr.org)

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