HRW urges Russia to deem human rights a first priority

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on each of France and Germany to urge Russian President Vladimir Putin to consider the human rights a priority both in Russia and abroad. The organization asked German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the new French president, Francois Hollande to stress the need for accountability for human rights violations in Russia and to end Russia's ineffective stance on Syria during his visit Friday to Germany and France. It also underlined the need to focus on these issues during the summit between Russia and the European Union in Saint Petersburg scheduled on June 3 and 4. "Human rights issues should be high on the agenda during Putin’s first official visits in his renewed presidential capacity," said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. He added, "To retain the confidence of his European counterparts, Putin needs to be questioned on accountability for domestic human rights abuses as well as on Russia’s position on the worsening crisis in Syria." Human Rights Watch also called on Merkel and Hollande to prominently raise the human rights crisis in Syria with Putin, including the French proposal to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Russia should demand Syria to allow the UN commission to carry out criminal investigations into these human rights violations in the Houla massacre and those tortured and imprisoned in each of Deraa, Homs, Idlib, Human Rights Watch said. Also, it demanded the support UN sanctions against those responsible for these brutal acts. The Houla massacre in Syria has claimed the lives of more than 108 people, including at least 49 children under the age of 10 and 32 women. (QNA)