The U.N. Human Rights Chief chastised the Syrian government Monday for its role in starting the conflict in its country and criticized the Security Council for not being more decisive in ending the suffering.

“It all began seven years ago almost to the day with the torture of children, and the impunity given by the Syrian state to those torturers,” High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein said. He was referring to a group of school boys from Daraa who in 2011 painted anti-government graffiti that led to arrests, a crackdown on peaceful protests, and eventually full-fledged conflict.

The government of President Bashar al-Assad has said it is only conducting counter-terrorism operations, not attacking its own civilians.

The high commissioner noted that unlawful methods of warfare have been used by all parties to this conflict, not just the government.

He scolded the U.N. Security Council for not taking “decisive action” to defend human rights and prevent further loss of life, including using and threatening the use of the veto to protect parties to the conflict.

He again called for atrocities committed in Syria to be referred to the International Criminal Court at The Hague. An unlikely action, as it would require a Security Council referral and Russia has used its veto 11 times since the start of the conflict to spare the Assad government from sanctions or other measures.
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