A/RES/70/234 Situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic 1 October 2015 17 and Security Council resolutions 2042 (2012) of 14 April 2012, 2043 (2012) of 21 April 2012, 2118 (2013) of 27 September 2013, 2139 (2014) of 22 February 2014, 2165 (2014) of 14 July 2014, 2170 (2014) of 15 August 2014, 2178 (2014) of 24 September 2014, 2191 (2014) of 17 December 2014, 2209 (2015) of 6 March 2015 and 2235 (2015) of 7 August 2015 and the statements by the President of the Council of 3 August 2011, 18 2 October 2013 19 and 17 August 2015, 20 Condemning the grave deterioration of the human rights situation and the indiscriminate killing and deliberate targeting of civilians as such, in violation of international humanitarian law, and acts of violence that foment sectarian tensions, Noting with concern the culture of impunity for serious violations of international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of human rights law committed during the present conflict, which has provided a fertile ground for further violations and abuses, Recalling that, amid expressions of popular discontent over restrictions on the enjoyment of civil, political, economic and social rights, civilian protests erupted in Dar’a in March 2011, and noting that the excessive and violent oppression of civilian protests by the Syrian authorities, which later escalated to the direct shelling of civilian population areas, fuelled the escalation of armed violence and extremist groups, including so-called Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Da’esh), Expressing outrage at the continuing escalation of violence in the Syrian Arab Republic, which has caused more than 250,000 fatalities, including the killing of many more than 10,000 children, and in particular at the continued widespread and systematic gross violations, as well as abuses, of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law, including those involving the continued indiscriminate use of heavy weapons and aerial bombardments, such as the indiscriminate use of ballistic missiles, cluster munitions, barrel and vacuu m bombs and chlorine gas, and the starvation of civilians as a method of combat, which are prohibited under international humanitarian law, by the Syrian authorities against the Syrian population, Expressing grave concern at the disproportionate use of force by the Syrian authorities against its civilians, which caused immense human suffering and fomented the spread of extremism and extremist groups and which demonstrates the failure of the Syrian authorities to protect its population and to implement the relevant resolutions and decisions of United Nations bodies, Taking note of the identical letters dated 18 June 2015 addressed to the Secretary-General, the President of the General Assembly and the President of the Security Council, on behalf of 71 Member States, expressing outrage regarding the continued bloodshed and violence against civilians in Syria, caused i n particular by the systematic use of barrel bombs, Expressing grave concern at the spread of extremism and extremist groups, terrorism and terrorist groups, and strongly condemning all violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law committed in the Syrian Arab Republic by any party to the conflict, in particular so -called Islamic _______________ 17 Ibid., Supplement No. 53A (A/70/53/Add.1), chap. II. S/PRST/2011/16; see Resolutions and Decisions of the Security Council, 1 August 2011–31 July 2012 (S/INF/67). 19 S/PRST/2013/15; see Resolutions and Decisions of the Security Council, 1 August 2013–31 July 2014 (S/INF/69). 20 S/PRST/2015/15. 18 2/9