联合国人权理事会下令调查叙利亚安全部队在血腥镇压持不同政见人士时可能出现的践踏人权行径。由47个成员组成的人权理事会星期二以33对4票的投票结果批准了这项决议，其余成员弃权。中国和俄罗斯反对这项决议，称其为不必要的干预。
在联合国人权理事会采取这项措施的前一天，目击者和人权组织说，就在数千名反政府抗议者嘲讽巴沙尔·阿萨德总统时，叙利亚部队打死了八人。目击者说，在联合国人道小组访问了霍姆斯之后，几百人星期一聚集在市中心的主要广场上。政府军向抗议者开火，很多抗议者高喊：“卡扎菲完了，现在轮到你了，巴沙尔！”据报导，有六人被打死。类似的示威活动也在叙利亚其它城市举行，包括哈马市。据报导，那里有两名平民丧生。
星期一早些时候，联合国人权事务高级专员皮莱说，叙利亚政府显然对平民采取了“格杀勿论”的政策。她对联合国人权理事会说，在骚乱中已经有2200多人丧生。联合国酷刑问题特别报告员星期一也对人权理事会表示，叙利亚“显然出现了有组织的大规模暴力”。
The U.N. Human Rights Council has ordered an investigation into possible rights violations committed by Syrian security forces during a deadly crackdown against dissent.The 47-member council voted Tuesday to approve a resolution by a 33-to-4 margin, with the rest of the members abstaining. China and Russia were among those that opposed the measure, saying it was an unnecessary intervention.
The council’s action comes a day after witnesses and rights groups said Syrian forces killed eight people as thousands of anti-government protesters taunted President Bashar al-Assad.The witnesses said several hundred people converged on the main square in the central city of Homs Monday after a U.N. humanitarian team visited the town. Pro-government troops fired on the protesters, many of whom had shouted “Gadhafi is gone; now it is your turn, Bashar!” Six people were reported killed.Similar demonstrations were held in other Syrian cities, including Hama, where two more civilians were reported killed.
Earlier Monday, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, Navi Pillay, said the Syrian government has resorted to an apparent “shoot-to-kill” policy against civilians. She told the U.N. Human Rights Council that more than 2,200 people have been killed in the unrest. The U.N. special rapporteur on torture ((Juan Mendez)) also briefed the council Monday, saying the “threshold of systematic and widespread violence has clearly been reached.”