FDIH urges SC to refer Syrian crisis to ICC

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) urged the UN Security Council member States to refer the file of the crisis in Syria to the International Criminal Court and emphasized that the flow of arms into Syria be prevented. In a statement distributed here, the FIDH, alarmed by escalating violence in Syria, called on the UN Security Council to immediately reopen discussion on the Syrian matter and take firm and decisive action to end the bloodshed and protect the Syrian people. In addition to large-scale attacks, the Syrian regime has also been targeting human rights defenders, who are increasingly facing systematic arrest, detention and acts of torture and ill-treatment, said the statement. It is clear that since China and Russia vetoed the February 4th UN Security Council resolution on Syria, the Syrian regime has escalated its violent assault against its people, and the continued flow of arms into the country has further militarized the conflict, the statement noted. The Security Council must recognize that its failure to reach agreement is fuelling the violence in Syria, and allowing for the death and suffering of innocent civilians, the FIDH statement concluded.