UN vote sends ‘clear’ message to Syria - Amnesty

Lebanon: Amnesty International said the resolution passed by the UN General Assembly condemning the Syrian regime for its deadly crackdown on dissent sends “a clear and unequivocal message” that the violence must end. In a strongly worded resolution adopted by a 137-12 vote on Thursday, UN member states demanded that President Bashar al-Assad's regime stop attacking civilian demonstrators and start pulling its troops back to barracks.

“The vote sends a clear and unequivocal message from the international community to Syria to immediately end the brutal assault against innocent people,” said a statement by Jose Luis Diaz, Amnesty's Head of UN Office. “Crimes against humanity are taking place in Syria. Whilst Russia and a handful of states continue to shield Syria the result of today's vote shows they are increasingly isolated.” Russia, China and Iran opposed the largely symbolic text put forward by Arab states with Western support just days after Beijing and Moscow vetoed a similar resolution in the UN Security Council.

“It is long overdue for the international community to refer the situation to the International Criminal Court; put in place a comprehensive arms embargo and to freeze the assets of Bashar al-Assad and other top officials,” Diaz said. “Those states that continue to block moves to end the crackdown will have innocent blood on their hands.”

Human rights groups say that more than 6,000 people have been killed over the past 11 months in the Assad regime's crackdown on dissent. AFP