UN urges Syria to step up efforts against ongoing human rights abuses

The UN human rights office (OHCHR) on Friday urged interim Syrian authorities to increase efforts to address “distressing accounts” of human rights violations targeting minority groups and individuals allegedly affiliated with the former Bashar al-Assad government. This statement comes ahead of the anniversary of the fall of the Assad regime .

OHCHR spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheethan said:

While the interim authorities have taken encouraging steps towards addressing past violations, these steps are only the beginning of what needs to be done.The interim authorities have established national commissions for transitional justice and missing persons, as well as investigation bodies into violence in the coastal areas and in Suweida, and announced a draft law on transitional justice. Trials