In the first Syrian reaction to the statement made by United Nations human rights chief Navi Pillay regarding a personal role for President Bashar al-Assad in Syria's war crimes, Deputy Foreign Miinister Faisal Mikdad said that Pillay "has been saying nonsense for years and we do not listen to her."
On Monday, United Nations human rights chief Navi Pillay said that evidence collected by U.N. investigators probing Syrian war crimes implicates President Bashar al-Assad.
The U.N. investigators, who collect testimony in utmost secrecy and independently from Pillay, have previously said the evidence points to the highest levels of Syria's government, but have not named Assad or any other officials publicly.
They have compiled secret lists of suspects and handed them to Pillay for safe storage, in hope that one day suspects will face trial for violations including torture and mass killings.
"They point to the fact that the evidence indicates responsibility at the highest level of government, including the head of state," Pillay told a news conference.
But Pillay said even she cannot unseal the confidential lists, and insisted she was only repeating what the investigators led by Brazilian expert Paulo Pinheiro had said.
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