Amnesty International: Arab League must press Syria to allow human rights monitors

The Arab League must press Syria to allow entry for independent human rights monitors, Amnesty International said today, as killings and arrests continue in Syria in defiance of an agreement to end the violence.

More than 100 people are reported to have been killed since Syria announced last week that it would abide by the action plan it agreed with the Arab League on 30 October. The majority of those killed appear to have been unarmed protesters and bystanders shot by the security forces and army.

Qatar has called for an emergency ministerial meeting on Syria this Saturday, to address what it has described as the Syrian authorities’ failure to abide by its obligations under the plan.

“The Arab League’s action plan is a very positive step and, if implemented, could help bring an end to the relentless toll of unlawful killings and detentions we have been documenting in recent months,” said Philip Luther (AI). “However, Syria’s flouting of the terms of the agreement should persuade the Arab League that it needs to take further steps. Securing access for human rights monitors would be a very practical way for the League to help expose continuing abuses.”

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/arab-league-must-press-syria-allow-human-rights-monitors-2011-11-10