(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) Kuwait voted on Friday in favor of a UN Human Rights Council resolution stressing the need to ensure that all those responsible for violations of international humanitarian law or abuses of human rights in Syria to be held accountable
Kuwait supported this resolution through its membership of the UN Human Rights Council during the discussions and the preparation of this resolution
Another 31 countries voted in favour of the resolution, 11 abstained and four rejected, namely Russia, Cuba, Venezuela and Ghana
The resolution reaffirms that, in the context of an inclusive and credible dialogue, the Syrian people should determine the process and mechanisms to achieve justice, reconciliation, truth and accountability for gross violations and abuses of international law, as well as preparations and effective remedies for victims, taking into account the relevance of referrals to the appropriate international criminal justice mechanism under appropriate circumstances
The resolution demands that the Syrian authorities meet their responsibility to protect the Syrian population
At the same time, the resolution strongly condemns the use of chemical weapons and all indiscriminate methods of warfare in the Syrian Arab Republic, which is prohibited under international law, amounts to a serious crime and has a devastating impact on civilians, and in this regard calls upon the Syrian authorities to accelerate the complete and irreversible destruction of their chemical weapons programme and the removal of its chemical weapons in accordance with their obligations under the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons
The resolution expresses its support for the efforts of the Joint Special Representative of the United Nations and the League of Arab States to find a negotiated political solution to the Syrian crisis, and urges those countries with influence over the Syrian parties to take all measures to encourage the parties to negotiate constructively and on the basis of the call made in the Geneva communique for the formation of a transitional governing body
The resolution strongly condemns the intentional denial of humanitarian assistance to civilians, from whatever quarter, noting especially the responsibilities of the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic in this regard, and deplores the deteriorating humanitarian situation
The resolution also strongly condemns the use by the Syrian authorities of starvation of civilians as a method of combat, and further condemns the besiegement of civilians
Further strongly condemns all acts of violence directed against humanitarian actors, and demands that the Syrian authorities promptly allow, and all other parties to the conflict not hinder, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access for United Nations humanitarian agencies and their implementing partners, including across conflict lines and across borders, in order to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches people in need through the most direct routes
The resolution urges the international community, including all donors, to provide urgent financial support to enable the host countries to respond to the growing humanitarian needs of Syrian refugees, while emphasizing the principle of burden-sharing
The resolution welcomes the report of the commission of inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic and decides to extend the mandate of the commission of inquiry through to the 28th session of the Human Rights Council, and requests the commission to present a written report on the situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic during an interactive dialogue at the twenty-seventh and the 28 sessions of the Council and to provide an oral update to the Council during an interactive dialogue at the 26th session
It demands that the Syrian authorities cooperate fully with the commission of inquiry, including by granting it immediate, full and unfettered access throughout the Syrian Arab Republic
At the same time the resolution calls upon all groups in the Syrian Arab Republic to refrain from retaliation and violence, including sexual violence and torture, and urges all parties to the conflict to prevent violations of international humanitarian law and human rights violations and abuses
It strongly condemns the continued gross, systematic and widespread violations of human rights and all violations of international humanitarian law by the Syrian authorities and affiliated militias, including those involving aerial bombardment of civilian areas, in particular the indiscriminate use of barrel bombs, ballistic missiles and cluster bombs, and other actions that may amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity
The resolution expresses grave concern at the spread of extremism and extremist groups, and strongly condemns all human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law in the Syrian Arab Republic
It strongly condemns all violations and abuses committed against children, and urges all parties to comply with their obligations under international law and demands that all parties demilitarize medical facilities, schools and other civilian facilities, avoid establishing military positions in populated areas and desist from attacks directed against civilian objects
The resolution strongly condemns all violence against persons belonging to religious or ethnic groups, and calls upon all parties to fully respect international law
It expresses grave concern at credible reports that thousands of detainees, both Syrian and non-Syrian nationals, may have died in government prisons as a result of starvation and torture, condemns those responsible for those violations, demands the release of all persons arbitrarily detained, including children, and calls upon the Syrian authorities to publish a list of all detention facilities, to ensure that conditions of detention comply with applicable international law and immediately to allow access by independent monitors to all detention facilities.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.