New York:
A new report by the non-governmental organisation Human Rights Watch (HRW) claims that Syrian forces have summarily executed more than a hundred people, most of them civilians.
Tom Porteous, deputy program director at HRW, told the Associated Press on Monday that these killings may only be the "tip of the iceberg".
"Many of these were actually mass executions, where several, multiple victims were involved," Porteous said.
HRW also claims there have been human rights abuses committed by Syrian opposition forces.
"We have documented abuses by the Free Syrian Army and other groups fighting against Syrian security forces in Syria," Porteous said.
"We have actually written to the Syrian opposition and called on them to condemn such abuses."
In total, HRW documented the killings of 85 civilians, including women and children, and the killings of at least 16 wounded or captured opposition fighters allegedly committed by Syrian forces.
The New York-based group said it only included cases corroborated by witnesses, but has received many more reports of similar incidents.
The United Nations, meanwhile, estimates that some nine thousand people have been killed in Syria since March 2011, when an uprising began against President Bashar Assad.
Human Rights Watch is urging the international community, particularly the UN, to intervene in the violence.
"We think it's very important that any supervisory mission that is sent by the UN should include a human rights component, a component of human rights monitors who can document these kinds of abuses that have been taking place in Syria and that are continuing in Syria today," Porteous said on Monday.
Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has brokered a deal that is supposed to begin with Syria pulling its troops out of population centres by Tuesday morning, with a full cease-fire by both sides within 48 hours.
But hopes for the plan are collapsing after a fresh wave of violence on Monday and new demands by the regime for written guarantees that the opposition will lay down arms first.
Tom Porteous, deputy program director at HRW, told the Associated Press on Monday that these killings may only be the "tip of the iceberg".
"Many of these were actually mass executions, where several, multiple victims were involved," Porteous said.
HRW also claims there have been human rights abuses committed by Syrian opposition forces.
"We have documented abuses by the Free Syrian Army and other groups fighting against Syrian security forces in Syria," Porteous said.
"We have actually written to the Syrian opposition and called on them to condemn such abuses."
In total, HRW documented the killings of 85 civilians, including women and children, and the killings of at least 16 wounded or captured opposition fighters allegedly committed by Syrian forces.
The New York-based group said it only included cases corroborated by witnesses, but has received many more reports of similar incidents.
The United Nations, meanwhile, estimates that some nine thousand people have been killed in Syria since March 2011, when an uprising began against President Bashar Assad.
Human Rights Watch is urging the international community, particularly the UN, to intervene in the violence.
"We think it's very important that any supervisory mission that is sent by the UN should include a human rights component, a component of human rights monitors who can document these kinds of abuses that have been taking place in Syria and that are continuing in Syria today," Porteous said on Monday.
Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has brokered a deal that is supposed to begin with Syria pulling its troops out of population centres by Tuesday morning, with a full cease-fire by both sides within 48 hours.
But hopes for the plan are collapsing after a fresh wave of violence on Monday and new demands by the regime for written guarantees that the opposition will lay down arms first.
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