\n A UN General Assembly committee strongly condemned human rights violations in Syria's nearly five-year war on Thursday and said perpetrators of war crimes should face trial.\n<\/p>\n
\n A resolution presented by Saudi Arabia was adopted by a vote of 115 to 15, with 51 abstentions.\n<\/p>\n
\n China, Iran and Russia were among the countries that voted against the measure that now goes to the full General Assembly.\n<\/p>\n
\n The resolution expresses \"outrage\" at the worsening violence that has left at least 250,000 dead and displaced more than 12 million people.\n<\/p>\n
\n It stressed the need for accountability and encouraged the UN Security Council to take action, noting that the International Criminal Court could play a role.\n<\/p>\n
\n An attempt last year to refer Syria to the ICC for war crimes was blocked by Russia, Syria's ally, and China at the Security Council.\n<\/p>\n
\n Presenting the resolution, Saudi Ambassador Abdallah al-Mouallimi recalled images of three-year-old Aylan, a Syrian boy who drowned during his family's flight from the war.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"I appeal to you not to let Aylan down. Do not kill him twice,\" said the Saudi ambassador to the assembly.\n<\/p>\n
\n Syria's UN envoy responded by attacking Saudi Arabia, accusing Riyadh of financing Wahhabi extremists and failing to uphold human rights on its own territory.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"Can anyone consider the Saudi regime as a pluralistic, democratic system where women participate fully and effectively?\" asked Bashar Jaafari.\n<\/p>\n
\n He accused the Saudi regime of \"decapitation and flogging in public squares, (and of) religious persecution similar to what the terrorists of Daesh are doing in my country and Iraq.\"\n<\/p>\n
\n The Islamic State group is sometimes referred to as Daesh.\n<\/p>\n
\n The resolution condemned attacks committed by the Islamic State group, but it deplored the \"continued, widespread and systematic gross violations of human rights\" by the Syrian authorities and its militias.\n<\/p>\n
\n Last year the resolution was adopted by a stronger margin, with 125 countries voting in favor, 13 against and 47 abstentions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A UN General Assembly committee strongly condemned human rights violations in Syria's nearly five-year war on Thursday and said perpetrators of war crimes should face trial. A resolution presented by Saudi Arabia was adopted by a vote of 115 to 15, with 51 abstentions. China, Iran and Russia were among the countries that voted against […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[553],"tags":[],"ji_location":[],"class_list":["post-3075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-live-feed"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n