DAMASCUS, Syria, April 6 (UPI) -- The Syrian government said Friday the top U.N. human rights official lacked objectivity in her most recent statement on violence in the country.
Navi Pillay, U.N. high commissioner for human rights, told the BBC last month there was enough evidence to suggest Syrian officials "at the highest level" were behind atrocities committed in the country. She suggested Syrian President Bashar Assad had the authority to end the violence personally.
Syria's official Syrian Arab News Agency accused Pillay of compiling "lies and fabrications" without any effort at independent verification.
"It would have been better had the commissioner stuck to objectivity and professionalism as it would have helped in preventing killing more Syrians," a statement attributed to Syria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates read.
SANA, in its report, said 6,143 Syrian citizens were killed "by terrorist groups" in the country and another 1,590 were kidnapped. The United Nations estimates more than 9,000 people died in Syria as a result of a yearlong conflict in the country.
The U.N. Security Council, in a presidential statement this week, called on Syria to honor its pledge to pull military forces from the street by Tuesday. The statement recommends a two-hour daily cessation to the hostilities to allow humanitarian access to those affected by the conflict.
Syria maintains its dealing with domestic terrorists backed by foreign entities.
