Syrian Opposition Accused of Abuse

Human Rights Watch on Tuesday said the Syrian opposition has taken part in abuses that include kidnapping, detention, and torture of Syrian security-force members. Sarah Leah Wilson, the New York–based group’s Middle Eastern director, said the Syrian government’s “brutal tactics” do not justify the alleged abuses by the opposition groups. An opposition group said Tuesday that one of its leaders, Abdul Rahman Orfalli, was killed in Homs, along with at least 13 others throughout the country. Meanwhile, Russia, one of the last supporters of the Syrian government in the United Nations, called for a two-day ceasefire in Syria. Moscow echoed the calls by the International Red Cross to allow the organization access to “those detained in Syria for their participation in protests.”