Ambassador Ala: Siege, terrorism, aggression and occupation cause massive violations of human rights in Syria

Geneva (ST): Syria’s permanent representative to the United Nations office and other international organizations in Geneva, Ambassador Husam El-Din Ala, affirmed that the ongoing US, Turkish and Israeli siege, terrorism, aggression and occupation of parts of the Syrian territories cause grave violations of human rights, foremost of which are the right to life, health, food and development.

In a statement today during the session of the Human Rights Council devoted to the adoption of the report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review of Syria, Ambassador Ala indicated that the mechanism of this review constitutes the optimal international framework for an objective, transparent and professional consideration of the human rights record of all countries on an equal footing, without discrimination or selectivity, and based on the principles of constructive dialogue and cooperation according to a perspective that aims to assist states in advancing their national efforts to protect and promote human rights instead of using those rights to attack states and serve intrusive agendas driven by political considerations, as happens during sessions of the Human Rights Council.

Ala referred to the disastrous effects of unilateral coercive measures that affect the basic economic and vital sectors and violate a wide range of human rights of the Syrian people in parallel with the theft and smuggling of natural resources to deprive the Syrian people of their economic capabilities, in addition to the repercussions of terrorism, aggression and the American, Turkish and Israeli occupation of parts of the Syrian territory that causes massive violations of the human rights of the Syrian people, especially the right to life, health, food and development.

Ambassador Ala expressed Syria’s regret at the attempt by some delegations to divert the discussion session of its national report from the objective track and to exploit it to practice misleading and deception and to try to restore the atmosphere of confrontation and polarization witnessed by the discussions of the agenda items.

K.Q.