Human Rights Group Calls for an Immediate International Arms Embargo Against Syria's Government

Interview with Sanjeev Bery, Amnesty International’s advocacy director for the Middle East and North Africa, conducted by Scott Harris

As escalating violence in Syria moves towards a 17th month, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimates that the death toll now exceeds 17,000. As pressure mounts for the international community to take action to quell the violence in Syria, the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin has shown signs of distancing itself from its longtime ally in Damascus. Moscow recently announced that it would restrict new arms shipments to Syria, even as it continues to honor past military contracts with the government of President Bashar al-Assad. Russian diplomats also recently met with a delegation of opponents of the Syrian regime, signaling that they may be preparing for a future Syria without Assad.

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