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December 8, 2011

Assad: Only "A Crazy Person" Would Kill Own People 
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Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad has attempted to distance himself from
the violence his forces have committed against the Syrian people in
their uprising against his regime. In an interview with ABC News, Assad
said he did not give his forces a command to "kill or be brutal." Assad
went on to add: "They are military forces [who] belong to the
government. I don't own them. I'm president… No government in the
world kills its people, unless it is led by a crazy person." The United
Nations estimates Assad's troops have been responsible for the deaths of
more than 4,000 people and committed gross human rights abuses,
including torture, targeting of journalists and the killing of children.
In Washington, State Department spokesperson Mark Toner criticized
Assad.

Mark Toner: "It either says that he's lost any power that he had within
Syria, that he's either a tool or he's completely disconnected with
reality. It's hard for us to say but what we insist is that he's lost
all credibility in the eyes of his people and: needs to step down."



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