WASHINGTON, May 31. /TASS/. The US media is once again trying to discredit the Syrian government based on dubious evidence, the Russian embassy in the United States said in a statement.
"We paid attention to a series of publications in the American media [the New York Times, CNN] where the Syrian authorities were accused of misconduct against prisoners. As ‘proof’ they refer to an ‘extensive archive of documents’ belonging to the Syrian intelligence services that was collected by the crytpic organization known as the ‘Commission for International Justice and Accountability’," the statement reads.
"It is noteworthy that this NGO is extremely opaque - it is very difficult to find information about the organization in open sources [there is neither website, nor social network accounts]. We only know that it is sponsored by Western countries including the United States. Moreover, questions arise about the authenticity of the ‘documents’ allegedly removed from Syria - especially given the lack of public access to these materials," the Russian embassy pointed out.
"This is yet another attempt to discredit the Syrian authorities on the basis of dubious ‘evidence.’ Apparently, stoking anti-Syrian hysteria by the American media is necessary to divert public attention from the hardships that result from the illegal US military presence in Syria. With humanitarian catastrophes in the internal refugee camps of Rukban and Al-Hol at the forefront," the statement adds.