\n26-April-2011\n<\/p>\n
\nSecurity Council must refer Syria to the ICC<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n \nThe UN Security Council must refer the situation in Syria to \nThe call comes as the Security Council considers its \n“The Syrian government is clearly trying to shatter the will \n“The Syrian government and its security forces have long \n“President al-Assad and those around him have to understand \nThe organization also called for the imposition of a \nSince protests began in March, unarmed Syrians gathering to \nThe government last week announced the lifting of the \nAmnesty International has received the names of 393 people \nIn a number of incidents, snipers have targeted wounded \nThe organization rejected claims by the Syrian government \nAfter the Syrian army deployed in Dera’a on 26 April, tanks \nSeveral hundred people have been arrested across the \nOn 26 February the UN Security Council unanimously resolved \n“The Security Council needs now to step up to the mark and \n \n<\/p>\n \n“A consistent policy of zero-tolerance for crimes against \nBackground\n<\/p>\n \nThe human rights violations by the Syrian authorities \nPublic Document\n<\/p>\n \nFor more information please call Amnesty International’s \nInternational Secretariat, Amnesty International, 1 Easton
\nthe Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Amnesty International said
\ntoday, amid escalating government violence against protesters calling for
\nreform.\n<\/p>\n
\nresponse to the brutal crackdown that has left some 400 people dead since
\nmid-March.\n<\/p>\n
\nof those peacefully expressing dissent by shelling them, firing on them and
\nlocking them up,” said Salil Shetty, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.\n<\/p>\n
\nfelt able to operate with total impunity, and we are now seeing the result of
\nthat in the kinds of bloody acts that they have been committing on the streets
\nof Syria in recent days.”\n<\/p>\n
\nthat their actions will have consequences, namely that if they gun down their
\nown citizens the international community will hold them individually criminally
\nresponsible before the ICC or national courts of states exercising universal
\njurisdiction.”\n<\/p>\n
\ncomprehensive arms embargo on Syria and an assets freeze on President Bashar
\nal-Assad and others involved in ordering or perpetrating serious human rights
\nabuses.\n<\/p>\n
\ncall for greater freedom have routinely been attacked by security forces firing
\nlive ammunition directly into crowds of peaceful demonstrators.\n<\/p>\n
\n48-year-old state of emergency but violence has since spiralled, with at least
\n120 people killed on Friday, until then the bloodiest day so far.\n<\/p>\n
\nkilled since protests began, but the real number is likely to be higher.\n<\/p>\n
\npeople lying in the streets and people trying to assist them, according to
\nAmnesty International’s sources.\n<\/p>\n
\nthat many of the killings had been committed by anti-government armed groups,
\nsaying that it had seen no evidence to support such allegations.\n<\/p>\n
\nwere reportedly used to shell residential buildings where there was no evidence
\nthat the persons inside were armed.\n<\/p>\n
\ncountry, the vast majority held incommunicado and with their whereabouts
\nunknown. Many of those who have been released have reported that they were
\ntortured in detention.\n<\/p>\n
\nto refer the situation in Libya to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal
\nCourt.\n<\/p>\n
\nshow leadership on Syria as it did on Libya,” said Salil Shetty.\n<\/p>\n
\nhumanity will send a signal to all governments that impunity for crimes under
\ninternational law is no longer acceptable.”\n<\/p>\n
\nreported in the last few weeks include murder and torture and appear to have
\nbeen committed by members of the security forces as part of a widespread – as
\nwell as systematic – attack on the civilian population. As such these
\nviolations would amount to crimes against humanity.\n<\/p>\n
\npress office in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566 or email: press@amnesty.org\n<\/p>\n
\nSt., London WC1X 0DW, UK\n<\/p>\n