“Given the Syrian government’s refusal to provide international human rights and humanitarian organizations — including the U.N. inquiry commission set up late last year — with unfettered access to the country, the need for the United Nations to monitor and probe abuses is all the more pressing.

The deaths of 108 people in Houla last weekend from a military barrage of shells, mortars and rockets, as well as raids on residential areas, make it clear that the U.N. observer mission must investigate allegations of abuse by both sides.

U.N. observers could pass vital information to investigators, including those with the U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Syria. Because there has been no international consensus yet on action, those perpetrating violence and destruction in Syria are comfortable that they can continue to behave as though they are above the law. This inaction fuels resentment among a population that feels abandoned. While the people I interviewed are frightened, they also desperately want the world to know what is happening to them.”

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