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Aamir Qureshi / AFP - Getty Images, file
A Syrian woman hold her injured son in a taxi as they arrive at a hospital in Aleppo on Feb. 8.
GENEVA -- A United Nations investigation has concluded that both sides in Syria's civil war have committed war crimes, including murder, torture and the use of children in battle, and investigators said Monday that Syrian leaders they had identified should face the International Criminal Court.
The investigators urged the U.N. Security Council to "act urgently to ensure accountability" for the violations in the conflict, which has killed an estimated 70,000 people since a revolt against President Bashar Assad began in March 2011.
"Now really it's time. … We have a permanent court, the International Criminal Court, who would be ready to take this case," Carla del Ponte, a former ICC chief prosecutor who joined the U.N. team in September, told a news briefing in Geneva.
The inquiry, led by Brazilian Paulo Pinheiro, is tracing the chain of command to establish criminal responsibility.
AP Photo / Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
In this frame grab from amateur video taken Nov. 1 and provided by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a man said to be a rebel gunman steps on a captured soldier in Saraqeb, northern Syria.
"Of course we were able to identify high-level perpetrators," del Ponte said, adding that these were people "in command responsibility … deciding, organizing, planning and aiding and abetting the commission of crimes."
She said it was urgent for the Hague-based war crimes tribunal to take up cases of very high officials but did not identify them, in line with the inquiry's practice.
Del Ponte, who brought former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to the ICC on war crimes charges, said the ICC prosecutor would need to deepen the investigation on Syria before an indictment could be prepared.
Pinheiro, noting that the Security Council would have to refer Syria's case to the ICC, said: "We are in very close dialogue with all the five permanent members and with all the members of the Security Council, but we don't have the key that will open the path to cooperation inside the Security Council."
Karen Koning AbuZayd, an American member of the U.N. team, told Reuters it had information pointing to "people who have given instructions and are responsible for government policy, people who are in the leadership of the military, for example."
The inquiry's third list of suspects, building on lists drawn up in the past year, remains secret. It will be handed over to U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay when its mandate expires at the end of March, the report said.
Pinheiro said the investigators would not speak publicly about "numbers, names or levels" of suspects, adding that it was vital to pursue accountability for international crimes "to counter the pervasive sense of impunity" in Syria.
'Mass killing'
The investigators' latest report, covering the six months to mid-January, was based on 445 interviews conducted abroad with victims and witnesses, as they have not been allowed into Syria.
A look back at the conflict that has overtaken the country.
"The ICC is the appropriate institution for the fight against impunity in Syria. As an established, broadly supported structure, it could immediately initiate investigations against authors of serious crimes in Syria," the 131-page report said.
Pillay, a former ICC judge, said on Saturday that Assad should be probed for war crimes and called for outside action on Syria, including possible military intervention.
Government forces have carried out shelling and air strikes across Syria including Aleppo, Damascus, Deraa, Homs and Idlib, the U.N. report said, citing corroborating satellite images.
"In some incidents, such as in the assault on Harak, indiscriminate shelling was followed by ground operations during which government forces perpetrated mass killing," it said, referring to a town in the southern province of Deraa where residents told them that 500 civilians were killed in August.
'A crime against humanity'
"Government forces and affiliated militias have committed extra-judicial executions, breaching international human rights law. This conduct also constitutes the war crime of murder. Where murder was committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population, with knowledge of that attack, it is a crime against humanity," the U.N. report said.
Those forces have targeted bakery queues and funeral processions to spread "terror among the civilian population."
"Syrian armed forces have implemented a strategy that uses shelling and sniper fire to kill, maim, wound and terrorize the civilian inhabitants of areas that have fallen under anti-government armed group control," the report said.
Government forces had used cluster bombs, it said, but it found no credible evidence of either side using chemical weapons.
Rebels fighting to topple Assad have committed war crimes including murder, torture, hostage-taking and using children under age 15 in hostilities, the U.N. report said.
"They continue to endanger the civilian population by positioning military objectives inside civilian areas," and rebel snipers had caused "considerable civilian casualties," it said.
"The violations and abuses committed by anti-government armed groups did not, however, reach the intensity and scale of those committed by government forces and affiliated militia."
Related:
'Full-on crisis': 5,000 refugees flee Syria daily, UN says
After almost 2 years, Assad allows UN aid into rebel-held areas
Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.
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Really, I thought only the Syrian government was able to commit atrocities. According to our american media, anyway.
where you been? I've read american media that reported that some rebels gun down Assad's military troops after they been detained. However, I hadn't heard of any reports to rebels freedom fighers killing citizens, especially not like Assad is actually doing.
Assad started this conflict in cracking down on arab spring protesters where he also set up torture chambers all across the country to torture and many cases torture and kill protesters (even hundreds of children). Assad is far worse than Gadhafi b/c he even target children to punish by torture and in some cases burn the children to death
And what has the United Nations done about it? There's plenty of things going wrong in the world, local despots, starving children, wars.......and all they can come up with are reports, reports that are long after the fact. They even want to infringe upon Americans constitutional rights. Enough of these world power buffoons. They don't do anything. The U.S. should quit funding this useless parasite.
Bottom line here is out with one abuser, in with the new unfortunately.
Uh huh. And yet, yet.........it's EXACTLY the same Zionist media that wants the U.S. to back the Free Syrian Terrorists who are really Al Nusra Sunnis coming in from Saudi Arabia. As a prelude to getting us into war with Iran. Yeah, that's right - our good old "buddies" the Saudis. Real pals of ours. Granted, the media must think Americans are pretty damn stupid. But then again, maybe they are........
UN can go to hell. They are loaded with incompetent and useless members who are supported by the US taxpayers. More than 65 years after UN inception, the world suffers from hunger, disease, child labor, women abuse, illiteracy and wars on every continent. We need to stay OUT of Syria and end our membership in that spy nest called the UN.
Both the Syrian government/military and the rebels have one thing in common, they both believe killing women, children, innocents is ok in the name of Allah. That prevails throughout the Middle East. In Iraq, Sunnis and Sh'ites had no problem killing fellow Muslims. The sanctity of life does not exist in Islamic culture. The only life that matters to these leaders, be them secular or conservative, is their own.They are willing and eager to kill civilians and sacrifice the lives of their soldiers. In the US, while our military maintains a value system where they are willing to die for their country, they do not throw life away like Islamic people. Every soldier counts and no one is left behind.
This story has no surprises. And since the UN is so highly composed of Islamic countries, they don't care. The UN only cares about sanctioning the one country in the Middle East that believes in the sanctity of life, Israel.
If it would have been up to McCain, we would have jumped into this war already months ago. Great vision.
Both sides are savages, both sides are animals, and neither side has even a shred of integrity. Let them go and destroy each other for all I care.
Sorry, Syria. No oil = no U.S. involvement.
Sorry, but only Israel can commit atrocities. Or at least have lies about atrocities printed about her. Like the fake "Jenin massacre" that even the do-nothing UN admitted was bullcrap.
""Now really it's time. … We have a permanent court, the International Criminal Court, who would be ready to take this case," Carla delsslamic extremism on rampage all over the world. Ponte, a former ICC chief prosecutor who joined the U.N. team in September, told a news briefing in Geneva." Start the ICC prosecution from oil rich Sunni rulers of House of Saud, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE and other Sunni Arab League nations, fountainheads of I
“"Now really it's time. … We have a permanent court, the International Criminal Court, who would be ready to take this case," Carla del Ponte, a former ICC chief prosecutor who joined the U.N. team in September, told a news briefing in Geneva.”
Start the ICC prosecution from oil rich Sunni rulers of House of Saud, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE and other Sunni Arab League nations, fountainheads of Islamic extremism on rampage all over the world.
Libya, Syria, Pakistan, Bahrain are some of the examples.
Or else, wind up the cheap, partisan and highly corrupt UN and its agencies.
Both factions are Muslims. Assad has Iranians and Russians out killing civilians so he can technically say he's not killing his own people. The Rebels have Al-Qaida on their side and we all know they have a reputation for just killing people for the fun of it. It's a bad situation for everyone involved, but it's a feckin war, folks, and stuff like that happens during a war. If you don't like it, go stop the war. That's pretty simple, isn't it?
libya's rebels had a small % of rebels associated with al-Qaida, and later we learned that so did Gadhafi. I wouldn't be surprised if some elements of al-Qaida are also fighting on Assad's side, he did have a close friendship like relationship with them. I would support some drones (but not ground troops) to aid the rebels since Assad is trying to commit mass murders of syrians (genocide) thinking only of himself and he would be willing to take as many syrians as he can to his grave. Part of this report included the following:
Pillay, a former ICC judge, said on Saturday that Assad should be probed for war crimes and called for outside action on Syria, including possible military intervention.
Government forces have carried out shelling and air strikes across Syria including Aleppo, Damascus, Deraa, Homs and Idlib, the U.N. report said, citing corroborating satellite images.
In some incidents, such as in the assault on Harak, indiscriminate shelling was followed by ground operations during which government forces perpetrated mass killing," it said, referring to a town in the southern province of Deraa where residents told them that 500 civilians were killed in August.
Where murder was committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population,...
Those forces have targeted bakery queues and funeral processions to spread "terror among the civilian population."
"Syrian armed forces have implemented a strategy that uses shelling and sniper fire to kill, maim, wound and terrorize the civilian inhabitants of areas that have fallen under anti-government armed group control," the report said.
Anyone who has ever seen a domestic dispute will tell you not to get involved. The two sides, who just a minute ago were bitter enemies, will unite against a common foe. This is the same situation.
No drones, no troops, no logistical support should be given to either side. Let them duke it out and we can decide what to do once there is a winner.
Steve - what? Aiding one side does not make you a "common enemy". I didn't see the Libyan rebels shooting down NATO air cover. Did you?
Oh, and there already is a winner. Strategically, Assad has already lost. His only hope at this point is an open mobilization by the Iranian army, which will never happen. All he's doing at the moment is drawing the process out, killing more people, and deepening the chaos that will take over after he falls.
The Libyans didn't turn on us?
No, the Libyans didn't turn on us. Or did you miss the 30,000-strong protests denouncing the attacks, mourning the American dead, and kicking all non-government militias out of Benghazi after the attack? The actions of a single radical group don't speak for all Libyans, any more than the actions of the Westboro Baptists speak for all Americans.
Pro-American sentiment in Libya is comparable to numbers seen in Israel.
You're right!.....................at least if you don't count the guy who was arrested in Tunisia in October or the guy who was killed a few days later in Egypt, or the terrorist leader who was arrested in Egypt in December. Sounds like you're a FAUX News viewer, PUTT. No wonder you're so uninformed.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57539676/benghazi-attack-suspect-arrested-in-tunisia-ap-reports-2nd-suspect-killed-in-egypt/
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2012/12/egypt_arrests_al_qae.php
"The investigators urged the U.N. Security Council to "act urgently to ensure accountability" for the violations in the conflict, which has killed an estimated 70,000 people since a revolt against President Bashar Assad began in March 2011."
Do the UN and all its big name agencies go dead when Muslims do genocides of non-Muslims?
Darfur, Sudan, Pakistan, Bangladesh are some examples.
Are they on the payroll of oil rich Sunni rulers, oil companies and their lobbyists?
There was rebellion of Shiites against the despotic and highly corrupt Sunni ruler of Bahrain.
Brave Sunni rulers of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwaiti, UAE and other Arab League nations sent their forces and just quelled the Shiites rebellion in no time.
All of a sudden, these seventh century fountainheads of Sunni Islamic haters and killers, remembered “human rights violations” in Syria.
So the Sunni rulers of Arab League sent “human rights” group to Syria.
The head of the Saudi and their Arab League observers to Syria was a Sudanese Gen. The brave Gen was responsible for the genocides of at least 300000 Christians in Darfur!
Still House of Saud ruler and his 5000 princes and princesses and other Sunni rulers seventh century desert dances did not work.
Later they outsourced their dirty work to Turkey.
You see: Turkey is a strategic NATO ally and too much of Turkey’s seventh century Islamist Erdogan’s dances mean US, Britain and other NATO forces members have to pitch in.
What a way to outsource their dirty jobs to NATO forces just like Iraqi wars to save Kuwaiti, Saudi and other “oil rich” rulers!!!
I really don't give a Shiite.
@yeahbuhwha? What about the tens of thousands of Libyans who welcomed the Lockerbie Bomber home as a hero? Libyans are no friend of the US.
That's okay. It's only those peace loving Muslims that we keep hearing so much about.
Those backed by oil rich Sunni rulers' peace loving Muslims can do whatever they like to Muslims of other sects and non-Muslims including genocides!
All look the other way!
These big name (human rights, UN, women rights, democratic rights and so on) jumpers wake up when they see oil money!
They start their dances as directed by oil rich Sunni rulers, oil companies and their lobbyists.
Duh! It's a war between two groups of Muslims... what were you expecting... tea and crumpets???
grenade anyone...???
Anyone remember John McCain getting all mad and doing his usual frothing at the mouth demanding we support the Syrian rebels ? Most of us already knew at the time they were no better than Assad. The rebels are The Muslim Brotherhood who want 'strict Sharia Law' for Syria and are supported and allied with Al-qaeda. Classic example of our politicians having zero clue about what they are doing. It's a good thing level heads have prevailed and Obama won't send in troops or discuss a 'no fly' region. Like the rest of the Middle-East, I think we should step out of the area and let it implode.
Gee, while you were badmouthing McCain, it seems you missed the pleas by the Syrian rebels, saying "If we don't get foreign support, we will have to ally with Al Qaeda. We don't want to, but they're the only ones equipped to fight this war."
People like you threw them under the bus, and now you justify it by saying "we don't ally with roadkill."
Rebels pleas? Or blackmail?
US helped them in Lybia,Egypt,Tunisia.And what happend there?Who is US ambassador in Syria?
The US did not help in Tunisia or Egypt. The US helped in Libya, and the result was a country where 54% of the people hold a favorable opinion of the US.
54%? Wow ..Ye-ah.. And islamists who killed US ambassador are now back to patrol streets in Benghazi,
and their leader never been arrested or even questioned by "democratic government" and never will be.
Except that that's 100% false. Independent militias, including the hardline Ansar al-Sharia believed to have been behind the attack, were disbanded or expelled from the city afterwards.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benghazi_attack#Government_campaign_to_disband_militias
The problem with electing people to run things is that they usually don't know anything about what they are suppose to run...
Wanting to support the rebels in Syria is far more than just cause for us to demand all our Congressmen and Senators should be drug tested at least once a month. And, giving the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt 1.5 billion $$ tops the list of the "dumbest things Congress has ever done."
You can't tell who's committing war crimes until one side wins...then the loser committed the war crimes...
This is Obama's plan in action for the Middle East. Working pretty good so far.
No American lives lost. Thank you very much.
Why is this even Newsworthy??? Arabs and Muslims are historically associated with genocide due to Islamic Sect differences and Tribal hatred covering several centuries. The VALUE of Human life to Muslims is limited to a very narrow window, and sometimes includes murders within the Family Circle. Nothing new here.
I suppose many think we set the bar in Kosovo supporting the muslims. Well, that's what we get for faking it.
This is nonsense, they are all animals that have no value for life. Hope they all kill each other off.
What beautiful irony.
The UN reports both sides have used children in their war tactics. Does this surprise anyone? This is the true face of Muslim warfare. Collateral damage is one thing but to use children as shields or to carry explosives is beyond disgusting it is evil but then these followers of Islam believe they are martyrs for Islam. They should ask their God for forgiveness and turn away from using children in the despicable way they are murdering them. No doubt the women will pop out more to do the dirty work of their men.
who cares,,,let the third world countries wipe them selfs out..
Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, Haliburton, U.S. Steel, Alcoa Aluminum, and all the Congressmen and Senators in their pockets care. That's the short list. If we didn't have Muslims to bomb, sales would drop 83.4 %.
What was that thing on Star Trek ? Where it went like, "Federation rule #1: Never interfere with developing civilizations"? Sounds like we should have that as Public Law.
And in this corner is camel jockey #1, and in this corner is camel jockey #2. And let the fight began. Who cares, as long as it's muslim killing muslim, it's less people to have to kill when the final clash between the terrorists and the civilized world happens. And yes, it will come to that, soon or later.
When the large majority of muslims can't read or write, depend on the ones who can to tell them what the news is, what their Koran says, just what do people expect. Yes, it's horrible that innocent people are killed because of religion, but guess what, ever since man got out of the trees and started walking upright, this has been going on.
How is anyone going to stop it without killing almost all of the muslims? They are the ones who think they are the true believers, and everyone else is an infidel, and therefore, must be killed. And all of the arm chair generals of the YELLOW ELEPHANT group don't have a clue on how to stop it.
Just keep supplying both sides with arms and ammo, and let them fight to the finish. It's a lot easeir letting them kill each other than if the civilized nations have to be involved.
U.N. A toothless organization that the U.S. should have abandoned long ago. With Russia countering the West's actions; I doubt anyone will be brought to trial.
Well there is a slight difference between torturing a soldier wearing the uniform of your enemy, and torturing innocent women and young children (that's how Bashar Assad's punk @ss b*tches roll)...
"After the play, opposing penalties. Unnecessary roughness: Syrian rebels. Unnecessary roughness: Assad's military. These penalties offset; repeat: Second Down."
I miss football...[SIGH]
What is the surprise here people? This is Islam and they have to kill, it's in their DNA and they are commanded by their silly book called the Koran. The most civilized and tolerant of all of the Muslim's and that's not saying much are the Alawites whom Assad is a member. If the rebels win it will be a blood bath if it isn't already. If Assad's side controls it will be a blood bath. Islamic blood lust. Just make sure no US or any civilized modern country gets involved with these Muslim nut cases.
It should be good news that Muslim terrorists are so busy killing each other ("SOSORRY vs. @!$%#@!$%#Y"), they are leaving the west, US and even Israel living in peace for awhile.
We should sell more guns and ammunitions to both sides so they can keep on killing each other: A DEAD MUSLIM IS A GOOD MUSLIM !!! The West should not sell/give them any food or medicine so disease and starvation can help eliminating another billion Muslims and the world can enjoy peace for a few hundred years.
We need to stay out of the way as much as possible because this conflict is completely intractable, at least for us. If we went in there we would find both sides against us. I don't know how the ICC plans to get people inside a war zone, but I wouldn't expect to much to come of it until the conflict is over. Even after Assad is inevitably gone Syria will be unstable for years.
This is so much more complicated than Libya or even Iraq that we, or the UN or any force from a non-Muslim nation is likely to trigger WW III or something. A very large conflict engulfing the entire region and wherever their missles can go. It has to run it's course without us. All we can do is watch.
Besides, it's bancrupting our enemies instead of ourselves.
The more these disgusting people show what they are the more it seems reasonable to erase them from the planet.
Simple solution: just claim that the torture you committed was "enhanced interrogation", and write yourself a memo justifying torture.
Of course they do, both sides are Muslim! This is completely normal.