Israel Matzav

Syria to be referred to International Criminal Court?

United Nations 'human rights' commissioner Navi Pillay has called for Syria to be referred to the International Criminal Court as a result of the massacre in Houla last week.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay called again for the Security Council to refer Syria to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and for world powers to help implement Kofi Annan's peace plan to end the violence.

In a speech read out on her behalf to an emergency session of the UN Human Rights Council, she cited allegations that the Syrian military unleashed a barrage of heavy weapons on the town of Houla a week ago and that shabbiha groups killed dozens of the 106 victims, including women and children.

"These acts may amount to crimes against humanity and other international crimes and may be indicative of a pattern of widespread or systematic attacks against civilian populations that have been perpetrated with impunity," she said.

Pillay, a former war crimes judge, added: "I reiterate that those who order, assist or fail to stop attacks on civilians are individually criminally liable for their actions."

The Human Rights Council was set to call on Friday for a full UN inquiry into the massacre after putting initial blame on government bombardment and gunmen loyal to President Bashar Assad, diplomats said.

It is the 47-member forum's fourth special session on Syria in a year, raising pressure on his increasingly isolated government.

But Syria's ambassador, Faysal Khabbaz Hamoui, accused 600-800 "terrorists" using Israel-made weapons of carrying out the slaughter in Houla so as to "ignite sectarian strife".

A Syrian investigation was underway to identify the perpetrators and instigators of the killings, he said, adding: "We will submit their confessions to the whole world."

I guess if you torture someone enough, you can get them to confess to anything. OJ Simpson must be envious. Assad will find the 'real killers.' What could go wrong?

Labels: Bashar al-Assad, Navi Pillay, Syrian uprising, United Nations Human Rights Council

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 6:28 PM