[JURIST] UN representatives stated [press release] Monday that the organization needs access to Syrian refugees in order to better document war crimes. The remarks were made during an interactive dialogue between the UN Human Rights Council and the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic [official websites]. Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, Chairperson of the Commission of Inquiry, noted that it has become difficult to access witnesses and victims with fresh information as Syrian refugees flee the region, but the recent cessation of hostilities [JURIST report] has created a “glimmer of hope.” “We are appealing to countries inside Europe hosting newly arrived Syrian refugees to grant us access and remove any barriers to our work,” Pinheiro stated. The inquiry panel also urged major world powers to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court [official website].

The conflict in Syria [JURIST backgrounder] has continued for five years in a civil war surrounding the legitimacy of Assad. Last week Russian officials stated [JURIST report] that a US-led airstrike which killed Syrian troops could threaten the ceasefire agreed upon between Syrian and opposition forces. In August a top UN official submitted a report detailing an in-depth investigation into chemical warfare [JURIST report] used by Islamic State and Assad in Syria. That same month Amnesty International said that a suspected chlorine gas attack in Aleppo could amount to a war crime [JURIST report]. In July Human Rights Watch reported [JURIST report] cluster bombs have been targeted at civilians and rebels in Northern Syria. In June UN human rights experts called for the immediate protection [JURIST report] of thousands of Syrian civilians.