Houla massacre who is responsible

Activists from Houla say government forces peppered the area with mortar shells after large demonstrations against the government on Friday. They say that evening pro-Syrian fighters known as shabiha stormed Houla's three villages, gunning down men in the streets at point-blank range and stabbing women and children in their homes. The massacre marks the deadliest single attack since Syria's anti-government uprising began about 15 months ago. Images of bloodied and lifeless young bodies, laid carefully side by side after Friday's onslaught, triggered shock around the world and underlined the failure of a six-week-old U.

International envoy Kofi Annan, who brokered the peace plan, is expected in Syria on Monday. The U. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, said Sunday the "indiscriminate and possibly deliberate" killing of villagers in the Houla area may mount to crimes against humanity or other forms of international crime. Arab and western governments have issued statements expressing outrage and putting the blame squarely on Mr.

Assad's government. The White House said it was horrified by credible reports of brutal attacks on women and children in Houla. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton Sunday spoke of a "heinous act perpetrated by the Syrian regime against its own civilian population.

Angry protests over the killings continued across parts of Syria on Sunday, including the capital Damascus, where security forces fired on protesters in the Midan district. She cited the case of a massacre in the Khalidiya neighborhood in Homs.

They then attributed the crime to the regular Syrian army. You can follow his work at www. Charles C. Brittany Bernstein. The Editors. The U. For more details, you can see "our data policy". Your opinions matter to us times;. Kapat Send. Despite claims by the government to be implementing reforms and adhering to a ceasefire, the use of excessive force and deliberate targeting of civilians continue. It is imperative that the international community, in keeping with R2P, use all available leverage to demand the Syrian government end its crimes.

States have taken steps to uphold their Responsibility to Protect.