UN OFFICIAL
The United Nations human rights chief on Saturday urged Syria to
listen to the voices of its people who are rising up and demanding
change in the country, warning that continued killing of protesters
will only lead to more anger and violence.
The demonstrations in Syria are part of a broader protest movement
that has swept the Middle East and North Africa since the start of the
year, toppling long-standing regimes in Tunisia and Egypt and leading
to fierce fighting in Libya.
Media reports say around 55 people have been killed in unrest in Syria
over the past week, including two children.
High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay called on Syria "to
draw lessons from recent events across the Middle East and North
Africa which clearly demonstrate that violent repression of peaceful
protest not only does not resolve the grievances of people taking to
the streets, it r
isks creating a downward spiral of anger, violence, killings and chaos."
She pointed out that the use of force by authorities in other
countries has not succeeded in quelling discontent, but only led to
fuelling frustration and anger.
Indeed, she added, the use of force to suppress initial peaceful
protests in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Bahrain only contributed
to a rapid deterioration in the situation, as well as many deaths and
injuries.
"If those governments had responded more thoughtfully, without
violence, to the demands of the people, so much death, so much
destruction, so much of the fear and uncertainty faced by ordinary
people could have been averted," said Ms. Pillay.
"The Syrian people are no different to the other populations in the
region. They want to enjoy the fundamental human rights which they
have been denied for so long."
She stressed the need for the Government to guarantee protesters''
legitimate rights to peaceful expression and assembly, listen and
work to resolve the real issues they are raising and take rapid
action to tackle the underlying human rights deficits that have led to
their discontent.
On Thursday, the Syrian Government announced a set of political and
economic reforms, including holding consultations on ending the state
of emergency that has been in place since 1963.
Yet, the very next day the violent repression of protests by security
forces continued - something Ms. Pillay found "particularly
disturbing."
"Actions speak much louder than words," she said. "To announce a
package of long-overdue and very welcome reforms, and then to open
fire at protestors in the streets the very next day sends
diametrically opposite signals and seriously undermines trust."
The High Commissioner stressed the need for an independent, impartial
and transparent investigation into the killings that have occurred
recently, and called for the immediate release of all detained
protesters and human rights defenders.
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