UN chief calls for justice ‘for all war criminals’ in SyriaSeptember 10, 2012 - 17:17 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday, Sept 10, called for all war criminals in Syria to be brought to justice, Al Arabiya reports. “We must ensure that anyone, on any side, who commits war crimes, crimes against humanity or other violations of international human rights or humanitarian law is brought to justice,” he said in Geneva, where he opened the 21st session of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Ban said he regretted that the Human Rights Council’s recommendations had not been followed up by other U.N. bodies, and urged the Council to keep up its vigilance on Syria, “including on the question of accountability.” The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said that both sides in the Syrian conflict were to blame for human rights abuses. Addressing the 47-member U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, Navi Pillay reiterated that the Syrian government’s actions might amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. “The use of heavy weapons by the government and the shelling of populated areas have resulted in high numbers of civilian casualties, mass displacement of civilians inside and outside the country and a devastating humanitarian crisis,” she said. “I am equally concerned about violations by anti-government forces, including murder, extrajudicial execution and torture, as well as the recently increased use of improvised explosive devices.” The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition watchdog based in London, says more than 23,000 people have died in an uprising that has lasted more than 17 months. About 200,000 Syrians have fled to Turkey, Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Armenia, Turkey discuss restoration of historic bridge The meeting took place on May 17 in Ashgabat on the sidelines of an international conference of ministers of culture. India wants Armenia’s proposals on use of Chabahar port India is expecting proposals from Armenia regarding the use of Chabahar port in Iran, Indian ambassador says. EU welcomes Armenia-Azerbaijan “progress” The EU has welcomed “progress” made in the framework of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border delimitation process. Belarus opposition leader slams Lukashenko for Karabakh trip Belarusian opposition politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has harshly criticized the visit of Lukashenko to Karabakh. |