Human Rights Council: The Czech Republic makes a statement during the 18th special session on the human rights situation in the Syrian Arab Republic (2 December 2011)
05.12.2011 / 15:38
(This article expired 06.12.2012.)
The Human Rights Council at its 18th special session (2 December 2011) decisively voted in favour of a resolution strongly condemning the systematic and gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms by the Syrian authorities.
The session was convened on the request of the European Union and was co-sponsored by 29 members of the Human Rights Council, including the Czech Republic, which is by far the largest number of co-sponsors for any special session since the Council was created.
The resolution welcomed the recently released report of the independent international commission of inquiry, which concluded that members of the Syrian military and security forces had committed crimes against humanity. The report is available at the website of the Human Rights Council:http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/specialsession/18/index.htm
In addition to the standard alignment with the European Union intervention, the Czech Republic in its national statement condemned the brutal way in which the Syrian Government attacked not only its political opposition and non-government movements, but its own ordinary citizens. It mentioned that the scale and gravity of human rights violations merited the application of the Responsibility to Protect principles by the international community.
Full version of the statement made by the Czech Republic is attached.