Syria crackdown has killed 5,000 people, UN says

(CBS/AP)  Updated at 6:53 a.m. Eastern.

BEIRUT - The death toll from Syria's crackdown on a 9-month-old uprising has exceeded 5,000 people, the top U.N. rights official said Monday, as Syrians closed their businesses and kept children home from school as part of a general strike to pressure President Bashar Assad to end the bloodshed.

Navi Pillay, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said at least 300 children are among those killed in the Assad regime's attempts to stamp out the revolt, and that thousands of people remain in detention.

Speaking at the United Nations, Pillay said she told Security Council members of the increase in deaths during an afternoon briefing, and said she recommended that the council refer Syria to the International Criminal Court, the permanent war crimes tribunal, for investigation of possible crimes against humanity.

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U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Susan Rice, said Pillay's briefing "underscores the urgency of the present moment," and urged the U.N. Security Council to take concrete steps to bring the violence to an end.

Bensouda, who will take up her new position in six months, told CBS News on Monday that the ICC cannot act on Syria without a referral from the Security Council because Syria is not a state party.

In the case of Libya, Bensouda said, the ICC acted on a referral when it issued an arrest warrant for Muammar Qaddafi because there was consensus on the Council and, regardless of the reports of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Russia and China continue to block any action on Syria.

CBS News foreign affairs analyst Pamela Falk says the U.N. remains deadlocked on Syria, and the Syrian regime feels protected from the international community by Russia, which maintains important naval bases in Syria. Assad knows the U.S. and NATO are loath to act militarily without the U.N. authorization. Russia even sent warships to Syria three weeks ago in a show of military force intended to forestall any NATO military action, notes Falk.

The only reason the U.N. human rights chief was able to brief the Security Council on Syria about the dramatic increase in civilian deaths, was because France threatened to call a procedural vote after Russia scoffed at the idea of a briefing, says Falk, "so the Council is a long way from action, unless some seriously diplomatic action takes place behind the scenes."

Dimming hopes for such a diplomatic breakthrough, Russia's foreign minister on Tuesday angrily accused the West of taking an "immoral" stance on Syria by pressuring Assad while refusing to condemn violence by what he called "armed extremist groups" trying to oust the Arab strongman.

Sergey Lavrov also rebuffed calls on Moscow to back sanctions against Syria. He did, however, back the Arab League's push to send observers to the country, which some fear is on the verge of civil war.

Russia has had strong ties with Syria since Soviet times, supplying it with weapons and gaining a conduit for influence in the Middle East.

Assad has shown no sign of easing his crackdown, despite mounting international pressure, including a recent spate of economic sanctions from the EU, the Arab League and Turkey, that are punishing the Syrian economy, a dangerous development for the government in Damascus.

Arab satellite news channel Al Jazeera reported Tuesday that another 15 people had been killed by Assad's security forces, according to activists, including 11 in the region of Idlib.

Now, the open-ended strike by Syrian businesses also takes direct aim at Syria's already ailing economy. It is designed to erode Assad's main base of support — the new and vibrant merchant classes who have benefited in recent years as the president opened up the economy.

If the economy continues to collapse, Assad could find himself with few allies inside the country, where calls are growing by the day for him to step down. The authoritarian president is already struggling under international isolation and suffocating sanctions.

It is difficult to gauge the strength of the strike because the regime has banned most foreign journalists and prevented local reporters from moving freely. But there were signs it was being widely observed in particular in centers of anti-government protest: the southern province of Daraa, the suburbs of the capital, Damascus, the northwestern region of Idlib and in the restive city of Homs.

Further evidence of both the brutal crackdown, and the economic malaise gripping Syria, came from the direct account of CBS News correspondent Clarissa Ward, who snuck into the closed nation posing as a tourist and then linked up with opposition activists at the end of November.

Ward found a Syrian capital full of market traders longing for the days when drones of tourists flocked to their stalls, and that was before the general strike began.

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The opposition wants the strike to remain in force until the regime pulls the army out of cities and releases thousands of detainees.

"Only bakeries, pharmacies and some vegetable shops are open," said one resident of Homs who asked that his name not be published for fear of reprisals. He said those stores stayed open because they sell essential goods.

In addition to the strike, he said, security was tight in Homs on Monday with agents deployed at every intersection. The crackle of gunfire erupted sporadically.

"There is a terrifying security deployment in Homs," he said.

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[yolly1234]

SYRIA - THE DEATHS MOUNT UP - WHAT NOW?

http://wellthisiswhatithink.wordpress.com/2011/12/23/syria-the-blood-runs-free-what-next/

[nubwaxer]

every country has the government they want and the government they deserve (think junior bush). if they want a different government they will change it. none of our business, period.

[samspade99999]

Unless there was some way to guarantee that Syria was going to become anything more than another Islamic theocratic state why should we care here in the U.S.?

[ssporleder]

Great.


Out of Iraq. Finally.


But since Obama loves to spend OUR money that would fix OUR defecit, our troops will be there next.

[NotPartyControlled]

Why is this a issue for the west? There is more money and power in the east and middle east. The west can't take of it's own issues, so why take on more middle eastern issues.

[gleeuwrik]

Given that our neighbor Mexico has had somewhere in the neighborhood of 30,000 deaths due to drug cartel and corrupt government violence, why don't we go running to the UN to get world action there? There is clearly something else at work in the USA's desire to "help" the people of the Arab world to get "freedom". Wouldn't it be more "moral" to clean up this mess in our own backyard first and then go to the other side of the world to clean up that mess. Or is there really other reasons for our intense desire to clean up the Arab world?

[rider1956]

It is a hard fact to swallow, but we can not police everyone. We have tried in the name of democracy and decency. I personnaly want to kill the b******. However, once you cut off the snake head that are 10 ready to replace it and don't forget the radical islamist in the wings.

[giganews]

In his last inerview Asaad pleads ignorance to the plight of his own people, and even cowardly blames his own army as acting independent of his command. The blood that horrifically drenches his soil cries out louder and louder every day. With or without the UN, the will of the people shall prevail....

[Zann-Zel]

All the sudden it seems like they're trying to make us think Russia is the big bad Enemy again.

[usunus]

It is NOT the UN that said the death toll is 5,000 in Syria.It is only Navi Pillay,the UN Human Rights Commissioner,that said it.She has based the estimate mostly on the anonymous reports of the Syrian opposition and rights groups.Pillay was a professional South African rights activist before she was appointed to the UN job.She has issued similar alarming reports about Libya too.