UN rights chief reports Syria death toll at 2,600 News
UN rights chief reports Syria death toll at 2,600
Photo source or description

[JURIST] UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay [official profile] on Monday said that at least 2,600 people have been killed in Syria in the crackdown on anti-government protesters in the country. During her address to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) [official website], Pillay said “that, according to reliable sources on the ground, the number of those killed since the onset of the unrest in mid-March 2011 in [Syria], has now reached at least 2,600.” This figure represents a marked increase in the number of casualties as calculated by the UN. In August, Pillay told the HRC that the death toll stood at 2,200 [press release]. Bouthaina Shaaban, political and media adviser to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad [BBC backgrounder; JURIST news archive], refuted the number [Reuters report], saying a total of 1,400 had been killed since mid-March. Shaaban said the numbers were split evenly, with 700 opposition protesters and 700 government forces killed as a result of the unrest. She also stated that Syria could produce a list of the names of the victims.

Last month, Pillay called on the UN Security Council to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC) [official websites] to investigate the violent suppression of anti-government protests [JURIST report]. Pillay’s remarks came after the Fact-finding Mission in Syria published its 22-page report concluding that Syrian government forces cracking down on the opposition may be committing crimes against humanity [JURIST report]. The Fact-finding Mission was established [JURIST report] by the HRC in April but was not permitted to enter the country. Also last month, the Los Angeles Times reported that an unknown Western country is funding an investigation [JURIST report] into Syria’s recent human rights abuses. In July, two UN rights officials expressed concern over reports of violence [JURIST report] used by Syrian authorities against the country’s own people.

1:30 PM ET ~ The UNHRC has named a three-person panel of international experts to investigate allegations of human rights violations including possible crimes against humanity in Syria.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Pope Urban II sparks First Crusade

Pope Urban II threw his support behind what would become the First Crusade on November 27, 1095 during the Council of Clairmont. The Pope urged the council's participants to render aid to the Byzantine Empire, which was being attacked by the Seljuks. Pope Urban called for a wide coalition of rich and poor to combat the threat, which eventually resulted in the conquest of much of the Muslim-controlled Levant by the Crusaders and the establishment of the Crusader States. Read Pope Urban's address.  

Catholic Code of Canon Law revised

On November 27, 1983, the revised Code of Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church went into effect. Learn more about the history of Canon Law from Professor Kenneth Pennington of the Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law.

Alfred Nobel creates Nobel Prize in his will

On November 27, 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his will, creating the Nobel Prize. Learn more about the history of the Nobel Prize and the Nobel Commission.