Vice-president of the Syrian Coalition Muwaffaq Nyrabiya said that the reluctance of the United Nations to take a firm stance on ongoing violations by the Assad regime and its allies seriously threatens to undermine the entire political process. This reluctance has also caused increased suffering for the Syrian people and impeded counter terrorism efforts in Syria and the region.
The Assad regime continues to defy United Nations resolutions, encouraged by the UN failure to shoulder its responsibilities in Syria, Nyrabiya said. He stressed that the United Nations should consider pursuing a new approach to the solution in Syria which is firmer, stricter and one that meets the aspirations of the Syrian people.
“Today nobody can set a date for a new round of negotiations in Geneva as a result of the continued massacres and violations committed by the Assad regime and its allies and its refusal to implement the humanitarian provisions set out in the UN Security Council resolution 2254 and the cessation of hostilities agreement,” Nyrabiya said.
Meanwhile, the local council of Daraya, a rebel-held district in rural Damascus which has been under siege by regime forces for over three years, said on Monday that regime forces have dropped nearly 560 barrel bombs during the past 20 days.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) said that at least 12,679 detainees have died under torture in Syria since the revolution began in March 2011. According to the rights group, 99% of the victims were killed at the hands of regime forces and their allies.
In a report released on Monday, SNHR pointed out that torture of detainees is still practiced on a large scale in Syria, adding that the severity of torture and the number of the victims of torture in Syria are the highest in the world. The rights group noted that ensuring victims of the regime’s policy of torture are well documented is aimed to help see perpetrators of these violations held accountable one day. (Source: Syrian Coalition)
