Russia expressed its concern over human rights violations by the so-called opposition in Syria, referring to the report recently published by the Human Rights Watch.
Russia expressed its concern over human rights violations by the so-called opposition in Syria, referring to the report recently published by the Human Rights Watch, which accused the “Syrian opposition of carrying out serious human rights abuses, including kidnapping, detention, and torture of security force members and government supporters”.
Syrian News Agency SANA quoted Russian Foreign Ministry's Commissioner for Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, Konstantin Dolgov, as saying that "this letter comprises a wide range of verified facts on serious human rights crimes perpetrated by the armed groups in Syria.”
“The international body has posted on YouTube no less than 25 videos recording scenes of torturing and killing people who showed signs of battery and bone fractures to be later forced by the opposition to confess to having killed civilians and opponents to the Syrian government,” he added.
In a press statement he made Thursday, Doglov stressed the importance of investigating in the abuses and implementing tougher penalties against the perpetrators.
He also indicated that the HRW report “advocates the correctness of Russia's principled stance”, pointing out that members of “Al-Qaeda and other extremist terrorist organizations were emerging among the Syrian opposition.”
The Russian official called for initiating in an “effective political process, including supporting the mission of UN envoy Kofi Annan without outside interference.”
For his part, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov assured earlier that “President Bashar Al-Assad is a legitimate president who is committed to preserving security and order in his country.”
In an interview with BBC on Wednesday, Peskov indicated that the acts of violence cannot be ignored, adding that “a balanced stance must be assumed… President Al-Assad is looking after his citizens and assuming responsibility for ensuring general order in Syria.”
