AI: Dozens of UN members urge immediate ICC referral of ‘desperate’ situation in Syria
The UN Security Council must immediately refer the situation in Syria to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in line with a request made this morning by dozens of UN member states, Amnesty International said. In a joint letter to the Council, Switzerland and 56 other states from all continents noted the Syrian authorities’ failure to investigate and prosecute crimes against humanity and war crimes committed since March 2011.
Amnesty International, too, began calling for the situation to be referred to the Prosecutor of the ICC as early as April 2011. Since the beginning of the unrest the organization has documented systematic as well as widespread human rights violations which amount to crimes against humanity.
The organization has also found evidence of serious violations of international humanitarian law, including war crimes, carried out by the Syrian authorities since the situation evolved into an internal armed conflict in most parts of the country. Armed opposition groups, including those associated with the Free Syrian Army (FSA), have also been accused of committing violations of international humanitarian law, including potential war crimes, among them hostage-taking and the unlawful killings of captives.
The Security Council has so far failed to act on such calls, only going as far as making statements that “those responsible for the violence should be held accountable.” Russia and China in particular have blocked resolutions which would have allowed greater international pressure on the Syrian authorities.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/dozens-un-members-urge-immediate-icc-referral-desperate-situation-syria-2013-01-14