UN rights chief Navi Pillay on 18 January made a new demand for the divided Security Council to order an International Criminal Court war crimes investigation in Syria. Her call added to a petition by 58 countries calling for a war crimes case over the 22-month-old conflict in which the UN says more than 60,000 people have been killed, mostly by President Bashar Assad’s forces. UN leader Ban Ki-moon said before the meeting that Syria was in the grip of a “death spiral.” But Pillay said after a closed council meeting that she saw little sign that the 15-member body, badly split over the conflict, was ready to take a decision. “I firmly believe that war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed, are being committed and should be investigated,” Pillay told reporters.
“I have urged the Security Council to refer the situation to the International Criminal Court for investigation of war crimes and crimes against humanity on the part of all parties engaged in this conflict,” she added. Pillay said victims in Syria “see the situation as the United Nations not carrying out its responsibility to protect victims.”