advertisement
Syrian government air strikes on the besieged Syrian enclave of eastern Ghouta and shelling from the rebel-held zone into Damascus probably constitute war crimes and must be prosecuted, the top UN human rights official said on 2 March.
Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the perpetrators of such crimes in Syria should know they were being identified and that dossiers were being built for future prosecutions.
The UN Security Council called on 24 February for a 30-day ceasefire in eastern Ghouta, where 400,000 people live.
"Despite this rare example of unanimity, civilians in Eastern Ghouta have reported that air strikes and shelling continue," Zeid told the Geneva rights forum during an urgent debate held at Britain's request.
Zeid repeated his call for the situation in Syria to be referred to the International Criminal Court, adding: "Attempts to thwart justice and shield these criminals are disgraceful."
Syria's ally Russia has blocked previous efforts in the U.N. Security Council to refer the situation to the Hague-based ICC.
Hussam Aala, Syria's ambassador in Geneva, said that Zeid was "selective and biased" and that the debate was "politicised".
The Syrian army had taken every step to protect civilians and had opened "humanitarian corridors for the passage of civilians to separate them from the terrorists", he said, referring to the insurgents in eastern Ghouta.
British Ambassador Julian Braithwaite said that the enclave had become "the epicentre" of suffering, with starving families hiding in basements from "indiscriminate regime bombing".
"We propose condemning all terrorist acts in Syria including in eastern Ghouta," a Russian diplomat told the talks. "In the last week of February the terrorists fired more than 200 shells on residential areas of the Syrian capital. There were victims including women and children."
Syrian government forces aim to advance into eastern Ghouta one "bite" at a time, a pro-government commander said on Friday, as a war monitor said the army had seized new ground from rebels.
(Hey there, lady! What makes you laugh? Do you laugh at sexism, patriarchy, and misogyny? Do 'sanskaari' stereotypes crack you up? This Women's Day, join The Quint's Ab Laugh Naari campaign. Pick up that beer, say cheers, and send us photographs or videos of you laughing out loud at buriladki@thequint.com.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)