UN: At least 145 killed in last 4 days of Syrian protests

[News_Editor]

UN: At least 145 killed in last 4 days of Syrian protests

2011-08-03 07:26:18 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- The United Nations (UN) on Tuesday expressed concern after reports indicated that at least 145 people have been killed in Syrian protests during the past four days alone.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay called for an end to the bloodshed on Tuesday and warned the Syrian authorities that the world was witnessing the brutality against civilians.

Since Friday, at least 120 individuals have reportedly been killed in the city of Hama as security forces used tanks, mortar shells and heavy machine guns against civilian demonstrators. In addition, several other people have been killed in Deir Ez Zur, as well as the suburbs of Damascus, the capital, and other towns and cities across Syria, according to Pillay, adding that the death toll may be even higher.

"The Government has been trying to keep the world blind about the alarming situation in the country by refusing access to foreign journalists, independent human rights groups and to the fact-finding mission mandated by the Human Rights Council," Pillay said. "But they are not succeeding. The world is watching and the international community is gravely concerned," she added.

Pillay stressed that the Government has an obligation to protect its citizens, stating that the use of force in restoring law and order must be an option of the last resort, "but it appears that it is being used as a measure of first response to demonstrations in Syria."

"I again urge the Government to allow the fact-finding mission into the country to assess the situation first-hand," Pillay added.

According to the UN human rights office, there have been dozens of arbitrary detentions across Syria, including the arrest of human rights defenders, in addition to the killings.

"It is high time that we work towards accountability for perpetrators of human rights violations in Syria in recent months," said Pillay. "There is a need for an international, transparent, independent and prompt investigation into the violence, the killings, the excessive use of force, the arbitrary arrests, ill-treatment and torture that the people of Syria have been subjected to."

Since mid-March, Syria has been rocked by deadly civil unrest, driven by calls for greater civil liberties. The strife followed similar protests that toppled entrenched regimes in Tunisia and Egypt.

"I stand in solidarity with peaceful protesters who are demanding that the persistent violation of their human rights ends now," Pillay underlined. "I also stand in solidarity with the families of all the victims who have lost their lives since the crackdown began, and condemn in the strongest terms the reprehensible violence this Government is using against its own people."

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