At Emergency Session on Syria, UN "Human Rights" Council Talks Aleppo Without Mentioning Russia

On October 21, 2016, the UN Human Rights Council held a special emergency session on the humanitarian crisis befalling the 275,000 civilian residents of Aleppo, Syria who have been subject to horrific attacks by Russian forces assisting the Assad regime. The resolution adopted by the Council, however, does not mention Russia even once, despite the brutal Russian bombings of schools, hospitals, and other civilian areas. Instead, the resolution refers to "Syrian authorities and its allies" or "supporters."

Russian amendments to water down the resolution still further failed. The resolution was adopted by a vote of 24 in favor, 7 against (Algeria, Bolivia, Burundi, China, Cuba, Russia, Venezuela), with 16 abstentions.

The resolution provides:

"The Human Rights Council...

1. Demands that all parties to the Syrian conflict, in particular the Syrian authorities and its allies, immediately comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law, as applicable, including with respect to all besieged and hard-to-reach areas..., and recalls the importance of holding accountable those responsible for all violations of international humanitarian law and all violations and abuses of international human rights law committed in the Syrian Arab Republic;

2. Urges the immediate implementation of the cessation of hostilities;

3. Demands that all parties, in particular the Syrian authorities and its supporters, promptly allow rapid, safe, unhindered and sustained humanitarian access for United Nations humanitarian agencies and their implementing partners, including across conflict lines and borders, in order to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches people in need through the most direct routes;

4. Also demands that the regime and its allies end immediately all aerial bombardments of and military flights over Aleppo city;

5. Further demands that the Syrian authorities cooperate fully with the Human Rights Council and the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic by granting the Commission immediate, full and unfettered access throughout the Syrian Arab Republic;

6. Strongly condemns all use of starvation of civilians as a method of combat, and all besiegement directed against civilian populations;

... 9. Demands that all parties comply with the requests made by the United Nations and their implementing partners for humanitarian access, including by observing the cessation of hostilities as described by the Security Council in its resolution 2268 (2016) and ending all bombardments of and military flights over Aleppo city, in order to facilitate immediate, safe, unhindered and sustained humanitarian access,...

13. Requests that, consistent with its mandate, the Commission of Inquiry conduct a comprehensive, independent special inquiry into the events in Aleppo, to, where possible, identify all those for whom there are reasonable grounds to believe that they are responsible for alleged violations and abuses of international human rights law, to support efforts to ensure that perpetrators of alleged abuses and violations are held accountable, and also requests the Commission to provide a full report of the findings of its special inquiry to the Human Rights Council no later than its thirty-fourth session;..."