Executive Director Of Human Rights Watch Kenneth Roth Says U.S. Should 'Degrade' Syria's Capacity To Target Civilians

NEW YORK, Sept. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, candidly discussed U.S. intervention in Syria and the need to ensure that Syrian president Bashar al-Assad does not have the capability to target civilians in any capacity with The National Memo's Editor-in-Chief Joe Conason in the progressive newsletter's latest Newsmaker Memo.

"If there is a military attack, our concern is that it be done in a way that both deters further use of chemical weapons and also somehow degrades Assad's capacity to continue to commit mass atrocities against the civilian population, particularly those living in rebel-held areas," said Roth. "So what that would mean is targeting military assets that are of significance to Assad [which] would have a deterrent value… but ideally, also, some of the tools that are being used to target civilians and indiscriminately fire upon civilians."

Roth's concern for Syrian citizens is not limited to their vulnerability to chemical weapons but the continuing danger they face from the al-Assad regime's indiscriminate use of conventional weapons. He also fears for the 4.5 million Syrian refugees, who remain largely inaccessible to humanitarian aid groups because of Syrian, Russian, and Chinese intransigence.

The National Memo published the Roth interview in its newsletter and on its website on Monday, September 9. Read and listen to the entire interview on The National Memo at: http://www.nationalmemo.com/human-rights-watchs-kenneth-roth-protect-civilians-from-syrian-war-criminals-increase-refugee-aid/

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