Russia and China today vetoed a UN Security Council resolution to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court for the horrific crimes committed during the course of the three-year civil war in the country.
The resolution came amid repeated appeals by senior United Nations officials for accountability for crimes being committed in the war-torn nation.
It was backed by the 13 members of the powerful Council apart from China and Russia and if passed it would have given the ICC mandate to investigate the horrific crimes committed during the course of the conflict in Syria.
The conflict in Syria since March 2011 has witnessed the deaths of over 100,000 civilians, the displacement of millions and widespread violations of human rights.
"The Syrian people have a fundamental right to justice. The United Nations and its Member States have a fundamental duty to defend that right," Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said in remarks delivered on behalf of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon prior to the vote.
"Since the outbreak of the war in Syria, I have persistently called for accountability for perpetrators of grave human rights violations, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The recent attacks against humanitarian convoys and personnel, which may constitute war crimes, add to the urgent need to see action now on accountability in Syria," he said.
It was the fourth time that Russia and China used vetoes to block any action by the UNSC in the Syrian conflict.
In her explanation of the vote, US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power said it is the Council's responsibility to stop atrocities and "at a minimum" to ensure that the perpetrators of atrocities are held accountable.
"Sadly, because of the decision by the Russian Federation to back the Syrian regime no matter what it does, the Syrian people will not see justice today. They will see crime, but not punishment," she said, adding that a judicial process would have not only held perpetrators accountable but also allowed victims of the Syrian war to speak.
"The vetoes today have prevented the victims of atrocities from testifying at The Hague for now. But nonetheless it is important for us here today to hear the kind of testimony we might have heard if Russia and China had not raised their hands to oppose accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity," Power said.
She said the vetoes by Russia and China "protect not only Assad and his henchmen, but also the radical Islamic terrorists" who are pursuing a fundamentalist assault on the Syrian people that "knows no decency or humanity."
"These vetoes have aided impunity not just for Assad, but for terrorist groups as well," Power said.
