UN's Ban speaks out against killings of Syrian protesters

2011-04-27 06:26:50 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday expressed 'increasingly grave concern' about the situation inside Syria, where hundreds of peaceful demonstrators protesting against the government have been killed or injured in recent days.

Ban - who has spoken twice by telephone with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to voice his concerns - gave a closed-door briefing to Security Council members on Tuesday afternoon on the latest developments in the Middle East country.

"I condemn, utterly, the continuing violence against peaceful demonstrators, most particularly the use of tanks and live fire that have killed and injured hundreds of people," Ban told reporters after the briefing. "It goes without saying that Syrian authorities have an obligation to protect civilians and respect international human rights. That includes the right to free expression and peaceful assembly."

The Secretary-General said that B. Lynn Pascoe, the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, will give a further briefing to Council members on Wednesday on the situation in Syria, after which the 15-member panel will hold consultations on the issue.

Ban and Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, have both called for an independent, transparent and effective investigation into the killings. "I remain convinced that only an inclusive dialogue and genuine reform can address the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people and restore peace and social order," Ban said.

Last Friday, at least 76 and as many as 112 anti-government protesters were killed when Syrian security forces went on a shooting spree in 14 separate towns. Human rights organizations have since called on the international community to launch an investigation and to impose sanctions against the regime.

The protests in Syria are part of a broader uprising across the Middle East and North Africa since the start of the year. Long-standing regimes in Tunisia and Egypt have fallen and conflict has broken out in Libya, while security forces in many other countries - including Yemen and Bahrain - have cracked down on the demonstrators.

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Perhaps the U.N should also be condemning Iran for active interference in Syria.

http://www.debka.com/article/20876/

debkafile's military sources report that these dissidents resorted openly to arms after discovering that Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) officers were masterminding the brutal crackdown against them, lending the Assad regime the experience they had gained in crushing the 2009 anti-regime opposition in Tehran.

Syria has certainly earned their spot on the UN Human rights Council.

Syria has certainly earned their spot on the UN Human rights Council.

along with Libya.

Syria has certainly earned their spot on the UN Human rights Council.

along with Libya.

Edited April 27, 201115 yr by Ulysses G.