Brasília – The Brazilian government is waiting for an in-depth analysis from the United Nations Security Council before it manifests itself officially regarding the ascertainment, by the UN’s Human Rights Council, that security forces linked to the president of Syria, Bashar Al Assad, are responsible for human rights violations in the country.
This Monday (28th), the Brazilian minister of Foreign Relations, Antonio Patriota, spoke with the secretary general of the League of Arab States, Nabil El Arabi. The foreign minister learned that the Arab League is still waiting on Assad to authorize the entry of 500 foreign observers into the country. However, if the decision is stalled, Arab countries intend to increase pressure against Syria.
Ever since the wave of violence worsened in Syria, eight months ago, the Brazilian government condemned government repression against protesters calling for the end of Assad’s regime. On the 22nd, the UN passed a resolution condemning the actions of the Syrian government, with the backing of Brazil and 120 other countries.
Before the end of the week, the UN Security Council will summon a meeting to discuss the contents of the Human Rights Council report. According to UN figures, approximately 3,700 people have been killed since the protests began.
The UN Human Rights Council investigations started on September 26th. The expert team included the Brazilian Sérgio Pinheiro, who specializes in human rights, the Turkish Yakin Erturk, a specialist in violence against women, and the North American Karen Abou Zayd, who specializes in humanitarian and refugee issues.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
