In Syria, those injured struggle to access medical treatment

The UN’s Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay addressed the UN General Assembly today, saying that ongoing violence in Syria likely amounts to crimes against humanity:

PILLAY: “The Fact Finding Mission, the Commission of Inquiry on Syria, and I myself have all concluded that crimes against humanity are likely to have been committed in Syria. I have encouraged the Security Council to refer the situation to the International Criminal Court. All member states must ensure that these crimes do not go unpunished. Yet these crimes continue to be committed as I speak.”

Pillay also said that the UN Security Council’s inaction has emboldened the regime of Bashar al Assad and noted that more than 18,000 people remain in arbitrary detention. Activists today report more deaths in Idlib, Damascus and Homs, where civilian neighborhoods have been hit by shelling for more than a week now. As the violence continues, many of those injured are unable to access medical treatment, fearing reprisals by state authorities at hospitals. Human rights advocates warn this is adding to an already dire humanitarian crisis and an international crime. UN Radio’s Dianne Penn reports.