A/HRC/RES/37/1
Prosecution of Persons Responsible for the Most Serious Crimes under International Law
Committed in the Syrian Arab Republic since March 2011,
Reaffirming its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and
territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic,
1.
Strongly condemns all violations of international humanitarian law and all
violations and abuses of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the Syrian Arab
Republic;
2.
Also strongly condemns the sustained denial of humanitarian access, the
repeated attacks against medical facilities and civilian infrastructure, in contravention of
international humanitarian law, the indiscriminate use of heavy weapons and aerial
bombardments against civilians and the alleged use of chemical weapons in Eastern
Ghouta;
3.
Welcomes Security Council resolution 2401 (2018), in which the Council
demanded that all parties to the conflict cease hostilities without delay for at least 30
consecutive days to enable the safe, unimpeded and sustained delivery of humanitarian
assistance and medical evacuations of the critically sick and wounded, in accordance with
applicable international law, and calls for its full and immediate implementation by all
parties to the conflict;
4.
Calls upon all parties, in particular the Syrian authorities, to meet their
responsibility to protect the Syrian population and to end immediately all attacks against
civilians in Eastern Ghouta, while the growing number of civilian casualties in Damascus
are also of concern, as delays in the implementation of the ceasefire cause more suffering
on all sides;
5.
Stresses the need to ensure accountability for those responsible for violations
and abuses of international human rights law and violations of international humanitarian
law in Eastern Ghouta, and also stresses that those responsible for violations and abuses of
international human rights law and serious violations of international humanitarian law in
all areas of the Syrian Arab Republic must be held to account;
6.
Demands that all parties, particularly the Syrian authorities, allow safe,
unimpeded and sustained access by the United Nations, their implementing partners and
humanitarian operators to all people in need, including immediate access for aid deliveries
and medical evacuations to and from Eastern Ghouta, and the protection of medical and
other humanitarian personnel, facilities and transport;
7.
Requests the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian
Arab Republic, upon renewal of its mandate, to urgently conduct a comprehensive and
independent inquiry into the recent events in Eastern Ghouta, and to provide an update
followed by an interactive dialogue on the situation to the Human Rights Council at its
thirty-eighth session;
8.
Decides to remain seized of the matter and to take further action on the
situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic.
16th meeting
5 March 2018
2