Russia, China and Cuba on Thursday voted against a UN Human Rights Council resolution calling on Syria to immediately end violence against civilians and grant humanitarian organizations access to the country.
The results of the vote, posted on the council’s website, show that 37 countries voted for the resolution and three nations abstained.
The Syrian delegation left the Human Rights Council discussions on Tuesday in protest against the “unfriendly” resolution. Syria also said it refuses to acknowledge the meeting and the resolution as legitimate.
The resolution “strongly condemns the continued widespread and systematic violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms by the Syrian authorities” and “deplores the brutal actions of the Syrian regime over the past 11 months, such as its use of heavy artillery and tanks to attack residential areas.”
It also calls on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to allow “free and unimpeded access by the United Nations and humanitarian agencies” and permit deliveries of humanitarian cargo to the areas in need.
Both Western and Arab nations increased their pressure on Assad’s regime, calling for an immediate end to bloodshed in Syria, which according to Syrian rights groups has claimed more than 7,000 lives since the uprising against the current authorities began 11 months ago.
