Syria condemned by the UN for massacre in Houla.
The attack, attributed to the Syrian government, which killed 108 people, including 34 children, and injured 300, was considered a revolting use of force against civilians and a violation of international law.
Agency Brazil – In an emergency meeting yesterday (27) in New York (United States), the United Nations Security Council condemned the attack on the city of Houla, in Syria, which killed 108 people, including 34 children, and left 300 injured.
The attack is attributed to the Syrian government.
In a unanimous statement, the Security Council said the attacks on the city represent "a revolting use of force against civilians" and a violation of international law. The Security Council demanded that the Syrian government immediately withdraw troops from residential areas.
"The members of the Security Council condemned, in the strongest possible terms, the deaths [in Houla], in attacks that involved a series of artillery and tank bombardments by the government in a residential area," says the statement, read by the Deputy Ambassador to Azerbaijan at the UN, Tofig Musayev.
"The Security Council members also condemned the killing of civilians by close-range gunfire and serious physical abuse," the text adds. However, the Syrian government denies involvement and says the attacks were the work of "armed terrorist gangs." Authorities also deny that their tanks were in the area at the time of the attack.
The emergency, closed-door meeting was convened after Russia – Syria's biggest international ally – rejected a joint statement from Britain and France condemning the killings. The Russian government had previously demanded information directly from the head of the UN observer mission in Syria, General Robert Mood.
Directly from Damascus, Mood reported to members of the Security Council that 108 people were killed – the initial number was 90 – and 300 were injured. For opposition activists, Syrian government military forces bombed Houla after protests on Friday (25). According to the activists, some of the victims died during the bombings and others were executed by the “shabiha” militia, linked to the government.
Yesterday (27), opposition activists reported that at least nine people were killed in a bombing by military forces against the city of Hama. However, this information cannot yet be independently verified, as there are limitations in Syria on the work of the international press.
For 14 months, clashes have been occurring in Syria as a result of conflicts between government forces and protesters demanding the departure of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. A group of 250 UN observers is attempting to monitor a ceasefire operation negotiated by the UN and Arab League special envoy to the country, Kofi Annan.
The UN estimates that more than 10 people have died in Syria since the beginning of the uprising against the Assad government. There are reports of human rights violations, such as torture, wrongful imprisonment, and attacks against children and women.