UN Human Rights Council calls on Syria to stop crackdown

Thousands of anti-government protesters took to the streets across Syria Monday after a televised appearance by President Bashar Assad, shouting for him to step down. During the demonstrations, security forces opened fire in the central city of Homs, killing at least one person

Meanwhile, The U.N. Human Rights Council met today to discuss allegations of human rights violations in Syria. UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay told the meeting the government must honour its pledge to halt the use of the military to crackdown on peaceful protests.

“The Government of Syria has also informed my Office of reforms introduced by the Government. These include lifting emergency legislation, abolishing the Supreme State Security Court and granting amnesties for thousands of detainees, legislating to regulate peaceful assembly and establish political parties, and new electoral and information laws. However, these pronouncements have been followed by more excessive use of force, killing of demonstrators, mass arrests and reports of torture and other abuse. The bloodshed in Hama, Latakia and other Syrian cities just in the past three weeks seriously undermines the credibility of the reform initiatives,” she said.

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