UN rights chief: War crimes not to be part of any Syria amnesty deal

Starvation of Syrian civilians is a possible war crime and crime against humanity that should be prosecuted and not covered by any amnesty linked to ending the conflict, the top United Nations human rights official, Prince Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein said on Monday.

Speaking to a news briefing in Geneva as Syria peace talks were being held, he said, "In the case of Syria, we are there to remind everyone that where there are allegations that reach the threshold of war crimes or crimes against humanity, that amnesties are not permissible."

Pointing to the what he said was the starvation of people in the besieged town of Madaya and the sieges of 15 other towns and cities in Syria, he said this was "not just a war crime but a crime against humanity if proven in court."

In January the U.N. children's fund, UNICEF, confirmed cases of severe malnutrition among children in Madaya, where local relief workers reported 32 deaths from starvation in the past month.

UNICEF spokesman Christophe Boulierac told a news briefing in Geneva that UNICEF and World Health Organization staffers screened 25 children under 5 for malnutrition, with 22 showing signs of moderate to severe malnutrition, and examined 10 children 6 to 18, with six showing signs of severe malnutrition. All are now receiving treatment, he said.

"We estimate that tens of thousands are held in arbitrary detention, and clearly they need to be released," Zeid said.

Wire services