MOSCOW, March 22 (Itar-Tass) — Violence towards the Syrian population should be adequately investigated and those who are guilty of such actions should be punished, Russian Foreign Ministry Commissioner for Human Rights, Democracy and the Supremacy of Law Konstantin Dolgov said on Thursday.
Commenting on an open letter by Human Rights Watch to the Syrian opposition on violations of human rights, Dolgov said, “It is not incidental that the open letter attaches public security. It contains facts about serious humanitarian crimes committed by the opposition, including abductions, tortures, accidental detentions and killings of civilians. The letter stated that the opposition kidnapped peaceful civilians and servicemen of the national army in order to receive a ransom to buy weapons or to exchange kidnapped persons for opposition members.”
“YouTube showed at least 25 videos with torture and murder scenes. All victims were beaten and crippled. Opposition activists made the victims to ‘recognise’ that they were killing peaceful civilians and opponents of the regime,” the Russian diplomat said.
This information aroused serious concern. “It proves the principled position of the Russian Federation on the inadmissibility to violate human rights in light of the events in Syria. We also voice concern about the fact that Al Qaeda militants and extremists from other terrorist organisations are among the armed opposition in Syria,” Dolgov stressed.
He said it was necessary to use information by all international partners in order to contribute to the soonest stabilisation in Syria, the normalisation of the humanitarian situation and improving an effective inter-Syrian dialogue, including under the auspices of U.N./LAS Special Envoy Kofi Annan, without any interference from outside.