‘Compassion does not suffice’ UN rights panel says, urging immediate end to bloodshed in Syria --- 18 March 2014 – As the Syrian war enters a fourth year, the harrowing violence shows no signs of subsiding – the fighting has driven some nine million civilians from their homes and has reduced many of those who remain to scavenging – said the head of a United Nations-appointed human rights panel, denouncing the international community’s inaction in the pursuit of peace and accountability. -- The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic – appointed by the UN Human Rights Council – presented earlier today in Geneva a detailed report on the living conditions of men and women in the region and outlined a list of individuals – on all sides - believed to be responsible for crimes against humanity. -- “The lives of over one hundred thousand people have been extinguished. Those freed from detention now live with the physical and mental scars of torture. The fate and whereabouts of thousands more remain unknown,” regretted Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, Chair of the Commission. -- According to the report, nearly nine million people – a third of the population – have fled their homes. In addition to the 2.5 million refugees, there are an estimated 6.5 million internally displaced people inside Syria, and millions more living in enclaves surrounded by violence. -- “This is the tragic reality of the Syrian war,” stated Mr. Pinheiro in his presentation, adding that “no one can claim ignorance of what is going on.” - More, UN, at: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=47375