United Nations human rights chief Navi Pillay has requested an investigation into alleged war crimes by Syrian rebels, who have been accused of killing dozens of soldiers and others last month.
In a video-recorded massacre, the rebels allegedly killed at least 30 people, most of whom were Syrian soldiers, according to Voice of America.
“Based on the analysis by my team to date, we believe armed opposition groups in one incident - documented by a video - executed at least 30 individuals, the majority of whom appeared to be soldiers,” Pillay said, according to Reuters.
Pillay (left), calling the incident “deeply shocking,” said that both sides of the Syrian conflict should be held accountable for breaking international humanitarian and human rights laws.
“Opposition forces should not think they are immune from prosecution. They must adhere to their responsibilities under international law,” she stated.
President Bashar al-Assad’s troops have been widely abusive and frequently violated human rights laws since the beginning of Syria’s civil war, but human rights groups have reported that abuses by rebel forces have recently risen, the Globe and Mail.
Syrian rebels have been accused of routinely capturing and killing government soldiers and suspected regime informers.
Rebel forces have condemned any such human rights violations that may have occurred and say they are an unfortunate result of Assad’s current crackdown on opposition forces.
