As the violence escalates in Syria, U.N. Security Council members condemned the regime of President Bashar al-Assad after three days of debate. The current Security Council president, Indian Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri, read out the U.N. statement.

Hardeep Singh Puri: “The Security Council condemns the widespread violations of human rights and the use of force against civilians by the Syrian authorities. The Security Council calls for an immediate end to all violence and urges all sides to act with utmost restraint and to refrain from reprisals, including attacks against state institutions. The Security Council calls on the Syrian authorities to fully respect human rights and to comply with their obligations under applicable international law.”

After the vote, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Syria to grant passage to international aid workers and a fact-finding U.N. delegation.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon: “I further urge them to comply with the Security Council’s demand to allow independent and unimpeded access to international humanitarian agencies and to cooperate fully with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. All killings should be investigated fully, independently and transparently.”