Amnesty International Urges Russia & Other Countries to Prevail on Syria to Stop Its Deadly Assault
Contact: Suzanne Trimel, 212-633-4150, strimel@aiusa.org
(New York) – Amnesty International today urged Russia and other countries with influence over Syria to make an urgent appeal to try to stop the military assault on Homs.
The organization said more than 200 people have been killed since Friday from shelling and sniper fire.
While Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was meeting Tuesday with President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, Syrian security forces’ unrelenting bombardment of Homs continued and has since intensified. Amnesty International called on Russia to make it clear to the Syrian government, both publicly and in private, that the military assault on Homs must end immediately.
“The situation in Homs is critical, and is turning into a major humanitarian crisis. Russia has blocked international efforts to stop the massive human rights violations in Syria, stating that they have a better plan for resolving the crisis,” said Salil Shetty, Amnesty International’s Secretary-General.
“Russia, and other countries with influence over Syria, must use whatever means they have to restrain the Syrian military in Homs and ensure it stops using heavy weaponry in residential areas.”
http://www.amnestyusa.org/news/press-releases/amnesty-international-urges-russia-and-other-countries-to-prevail-on-syria-to-stop-its-deadly-assaul
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