I am appalled by the atrocities committed in El-Houleh. Preliminary investigations indicate that the attacks possibly directed at the civilian population have resulted in the killings of 108 people, including 49 children, and 34 women…
“Once again, I urge the Security Council to consider referring the case of Syria to the International Criminal Court,” said UN human rights chief Navi Pillay at the Human Rights Council’s special session on the killings in El-Houleh in Syria, 1 June 2012.
Read Pillay’s full speech: http://bit.ly/LdsIEt
According to witnesses we interviewed, most of the 108 victims of the killings in El Houleh appeared to have been summarily executed: http://bit.ly/KOto59
Read UN human rights chief Navi Pillay’s repeated calls for prosecuting the perpetrators of international crimes in Syria. Press statement on 27 May: http://bit.ly/KCymAO (English) http://bit.ly/JKMwTY (Arabic).
The UN Committee against Torture, on June 1, urges Syria to
“ensure prompt, impartial and thorough investigations into allegations of summary execution, enforced disappearance, torture…, and arbitrary arrest and detention by state agents or non-state actors, prosecute those responsible before independent and impartial courts that meet international fair trial standards, and punish them according to the severity of their crimes. Prosecution of members of security forces involved in serious human rights violations and alleged crimes against humanity should comprise investigations up to the highest levels in the chain of command.”
Click under “Concluding Observations”, Syria: http://bit.ly/IXmfkV
UN Committee on children’s rights appalled at deliberate targeting of children in Syria. More: http://bit.ly/KkJUeU
A UN observer in Syria speaks with children on the streets of Homs, April 21, 2012. Credit: UN photo
Information about the UN Human Rights Council’s special session on the El-Houleh killings in Syria: http://bit.ly/KihbrY
