The Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday identified 74 Syrian officials it said were responsible for attacking unarmed protesters during the nine-month uprising against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad dpa reported
The officials include Syria's defence minister, the army chief of staff, the director of the military intelligence department and the head of the air force intelligence.
The New York-based rights group accused them of ordering, authorizing or condoning "widespread killings, torture, and unlawful arrests during the 2011 anti-government protests."
HRW called on the United Nation Security Council to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court and impose sanctions against the officials implicated in the abuses.