U.N Secretary General calls on Syria to stop committing crimes against humanity

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon accused the Syrian regime of committing “almost certain” crimes against humanity Thursday, as activists reported fresh violence and the arrest of several prominent dissidents, including a U.S.-born
blogger.

Speaking to reporters in Vienna, Mr. Ban demanded the Syrian regime stop using indiscriminate force against civilians caught up in fighting between government troops and President Bashar Assad’s opponents.

“We see neighbourhoods shelled indiscriminately,” Mr. Ban told reporters in Vienna. “Hospitals used as torture centers. Children as young as 10 years old jailed and abused. We see almost certain crimes against humanity.”

At the United Nations in New York, the General Assembly approved a resolution Thursday backing an Arab League plan that calls for Mr. Assad to step down and strongly condemns human rights violations by his regime.

The vote was 137-12 with 17 abstentions Russia and China, which vetoed a similar resolution in the Security Council, voted against the resolution. There are no vetoes in the General Assembly and while resolutions are not legally
binding, they do reflect world opinion on major issues.

Syrian activists said government forces attacked Daraa on Thursday, carrying out arrests and shooting randomly in the city where the uprising against Mr. Assad erupted 11 months ago. They also reported intense clashes between army
defectors and government troops in the central province of Hama.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Syrian troops “committed a new massacre” near the northwestern town of Jisr al-Shughour, killing 19 people – 11 of them from the same family. The report was impossible
to confirm.

The push into Daraa, located near the Jordanian border some 80 miles south of Damascus, followed sieges on the rebellious cities of Homs and Hama, and appears to be part of an effort by the regime to extinguish major pockets of
dissent.

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Posted by Hamza Jahangir on Feb 17 2012. Filed under Latest News, World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry