[JURIST] The UN Human Rights Council [official website] held a dialogue [press release] Monday with the Syrian Arab Republic discussing ways to end diplomatic gridlock and bring peace back to the nation. During the meeting, Syrian officials were presented with a commission report [materials] that discussed the disintegration of the Syrian nation and examples of civilians suffering within the country. The UN’s Commission’s Chairperson, Paulo Pinheiro, stated, “[t]ransitional justice would play a critical role in the future of Syria, and it was important that women and civil society actors took part in the political efforts to reach a solution to the conflict.” In response to the report, Syrian officials stated that the findings were not impartial and were based on dubious sources.

The conflict in Syria [JURIST backgrounder] has continued for five years in a civil war based around the legitimacy of President Bashar al-Assad [BBC reports]. Massive numbers of refugees have attempted to flee the fighting by entering Europe, prompting UN officials to urge a global response [JURIST report] to the crisis. Earlier this month the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic [official website] issued its latest report on the civil war in Syria, saying that Syrian civilians are facing war crimes and crimes against humanity [JURIST report] with “no end in sight.”