Groups speak out on Syrian violence

BEIRUT – A trio of major human rights groups on Wednesday sounded separate alarms about the violent crackdown against the pro-democracy movement in Syria, accusing the regime of war crimes and urging the international community to haul the leadership in Damascus before a tribunal.

More than 1,400 Syrians have been killed in the nearly 4-month-old uprising, which seeks to bring democracy to a nation that has been run by the family of President Bashar Assad or its political allies since 1963.

Human Rights First, a Washington-based advocacy group, urged United Nations Security Council members to take action.

“The situation in Syria cannot be allowed to deteriorate further,” Neil Hicks, of Human Rights First, said in a statement.

“The U.S. government must lead international efforts to adopt a resolution condemning Syria’s actions at the U.N. Security Council.”

At least 16 people have been killed over the last 48 hours in Hama, the country’s fourth-largest city, during a crackdown that began after large crowds gathered for weekly protests Friday in the city’s central square. Residents interviewed by the New York-based group Human Rights Watch said authorities are rounding up all men between 10 and 45 years old at impromptu checkpoints or during raids of specific homes.

Meanwhile London-based Amnesty International published a 22-page report detailing what it described as murder, torture and other violations that amount to “crimes against humanity” in the northern Syrian city of Talkalakh.