The United Nations human rights chief has directly implicated Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in war crimes, saying U.N. investigators have found evidence indicating “responsibility at the highest level of government, including the head of state.” Navi Pillay said the investigators have found “massive evidence” of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Syria. Investigators have also implicated opposition groups in war crimes, although to a lesser extent. Pillay repeated her call for the conflict to be referred to the International Criminal Court.

Navi Pillay: “The inquiry into chemical weapons, which is utterly necessary, should not be used as a distraction from the fact that more than 100,000 people have been killed as a result of the use of conventional weapons. Accountability should be a key priority of the international community, and I want to make this point again and again as the Geneva 2 talks begin. And I reiterate my call to all member states to refer the situation to the ICC.”