A/HRC/RES/31/17 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 8 April 2016 Original: English Human Rights Council Thirty-first session Agenda item 4 Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council on 23 March 2016 31/17. The human rights situation in the Syrian Arab Republic The Human Rights Council, Guided by the Charter of the United Nations, Reaffirming all previous Human Rights Council resolutions on the Syrian Arab Republic, Welcoming the adoption by the Security Council of its resolution 2268 (2016) on 26 February 2016, Reaffirming its strong commitment to the full respect of the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic, Demanding that the Syrian authorities meet their responsibility to protect the Syrian population, Condemning the grave deterioration of the human rights situation and the indiscriminate or deliberate targeting of civilians as such, in violation of international humanitarian law, and acts of violence that foment sectarian tensions, Recalling the statements made by the Secretary-General and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights that crimes against humanity and war crimes are likely to have been committed in the Syrian Arab Republic, Recalling also that, amid expressions of popular discontent over restrictions on the enjoyment of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, civilian protests erupted in Dar’a in March 2011, and noting that the excessive and violent suppression of civilian protests by the Syrian authorities, which later escalated to the direct shelling of civilians, fuelled the escalation of armed violence and extremist groups, Expressing its deepest concern about the findings of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, and the allegations of torture and executions based on the evidence presented by the “Caesar” report in January 2014 regarding the torture and execution of persons incarcerated by the Syrian authorities, and underscoring the need for those allegations and similar evidence to be collected, examined and made available for future accountability efforts, GE.16-05772(E) *1605772*

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