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UN commission to investigate human rights abuse in Syria

The UN Human Rights Council has ordered a probe into violations committed by the Syrian regime during its crackdown on popular protests. The resolution calls for the council to "urgently dispatch an independent international commission of inquiry... to investigate alleged violations of international human rights law ... in the Syrian Arab Republic".Β 

UN says over two thousand people have died in regime crackdown on protestors
UN says over two thousand people have died in regime crackdown on protestors Reuters/Denis Balibouse
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The commission, to be appointed by the president of the Human Rights Council, would be required to report on their investigation by the end of November.

The UN rights council called the emergency session on the situation in Syria, as investigators concluded that widespread and systematic rights violations have been committed by President Bashar al-Assad's regime since peaceful demonstrations began in mid-March.

On Monday, UN rights chief Navi Pillay told the council that 2,200 people had been killed since the mass protests began.

However, China, Russia and Cuba led the opposition against the council's resolution, saying that it was one-sided and politicised.

China's envoy said that by adopting the resolution, "the council will only complicate the situation, and injure the political process in Syria".

Syria's representative also dismissed the resolution as "100 percent political".

But, the resolution did receive the support of all four Arab countries in the council - Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. It was also backed by countries ranging from Nigeria to Peru to the United States as well as European Union countries.

The probe would be the second ordered by the council, an April session having already commissioned an investigation into the situation in Syria.

However, that team was blocked from entering Syria, and had to base its probe on interviews of people in and out of the country, as well as on videos, photos and written communications.

On Monday, Syria's envoy said that UN investigators would be allowed in, but only after the "independent Syrian judicial commission has completed its work".

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