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| UN rights spokesperson Rupert Colville addressing reporters in Geneva [PHOTO: UNifeed] |
Geneva: A video apparently showing Syrian rebels executing captured
government troops may be evidence of a "war crime", the United
Nations human rights body in Geneva said.
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva has condemned the alleged killings which reportedly took
place after the rebels seized army checkpoints on Thursday. Footage apparently shows the rebels beating
soldiers before shooting them.
"It is very likely that this was a war crime, another
one," Rupert Colville, spokesman for UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Navi Pillay, told journalists at a press conference at the United nations in
Geneva.
Colville said he and his colleagues had only just seen the
video and it was difficult to verify who was involved. "Like other videos of this sort, it's
difficult to verify immediately in terms of location, who's involved," but
he went on to say the perpetrators should be under no illusion they could get
away with their crimes.
Colville added that, "there should really be no
illusions that accountability will follow. There's a lot of evidence from many
of these crimes that have been taking place.
This video, if it's verified, if the details become a little clearer,
could well be part of that evidence". -UNifeed