UN experts on genocide said Friday the Syrian government may be charged with crimes against humanity as it has continued to crack down on unarmed protesters, dpa reported.
"Based on available information, the special advisers consider that the scale and gravity of the violations indicate a serious possibility that crimes against humanity may have been committed and continue to be committed in Syria," the advisers said in a statement.
Edward Luck and Joseph Deng are the UN special advisers on the prevention of genocide and the responsibility to protect. They have been following developments in North Africa and the Middle East where waves of popular unrest have unsettled many governments in recent months.
They said Syrian security forces have reportedly been targeting civilian protesters, "killing them and arbitrarily arresting residents, often from their homes. There have been numerous reports of disappearances and the torture of detainees."
"Serious violations of international human rights law are reported to have systematically occurred in the context of such attacks on civilians," they said.
Human rights groups said hundreds of demonstrators have been killed in the past three months since protests erupted demanding that the government of President Bashar Assad launch democratic reform.
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