The UN rights body appealed
to Syria on Friday to respect international law after receiving unconfirmed
reports of 17 "grisly" executions as forces overran Baba Amr in the
city of Homs.
"We are alarmed at
reports starting to come out of the Babr Amr district of Homs after it was
taken over by Syrian forces yesterday," said Rupert Colville, spokesperson
for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Colville said the OHCHR had
been given information "suggesting a particularly grisly set of summary
executions" had taken place on Thursday as regime forces overran the Baba
Amr neighborhood.
He said he could not
confirm the 17 killings however.
"We would like to
remind the authorities of their responsibilities under international law,"
said Colville. "It is essential there are no unlawful reprisals, no
summary executions, no torture, no arbitrary detentions.
"Enough crimes have
already been committed in Syria over the past year."
The opposition Syrian
National Council has warned of "barbaric" reprisals against Babr Amr
residents after rebels pulled out on the second day of an all-out ground
assault by the Syrian military.
The storming of the rebel
bastion began early Wednesday, following 27 straight days of shelling.
The UN estimates that more
than 7,500 people have been killed in the almost year-long uprising against
President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
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