‘Detainees dying on massive scale’ in Syria according to UN investigators

’Extermination’ of Syrian civilian population, UN investigators claim.

Detainees held by the Syrian government are dying on a massive scale amounting to a state policy of “extermination” of the civilian population, a crime against humanity, United Nations investigators said.

The UN commission of inquiry called on the Security Council to impose “targeted sanctions” on Syrian officials in the civilian and military hierarchy responsible for or complicit in deaths, torture and disappearances in custody, but stopped short of naming them.