A/HRC/18/53 Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic to the United Nations Office at Geneva, the contents of which are referred to in this report where relevant (annexes II–VI).2 On 5 August 2011, OHCHR received a letter from the Government in response to its letter to Prime Minister Safar (annex V). On 16 August, the Permanent Mission addressed a note verbale to the High Commissioner (annex VI). B. Methodology 8. The present report covers events in the Syrian Arab Republic from 15 March to 15 July 2011. The mandate took into account the time constraints placed on the mission to complete its work in accordance with the schedule specified by the Human Rights Council. 9. The failure of the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic to cooperate with OHCHR with regard to access to the country significantly hampered the work of the mission. The present report does not therefore cover all major geographical areas where protests took place, nor is it exhaustive in documenting the many relevant incidents that occurred in the period covered by the mission’s mandate. It addresses only the most serious violations. 10. In June 2011, the mission conducted three field investigations outside the Syrian Arab Republic where reliable and credible information could be obtained from a range of sources, including thousands of Syrian nationals who had fled the country in the preceding weeks. The mission interviewed a total of 180 people in four countries, some of whom were in the Syrian Arab Republic at the time of the interviews. In developing its methodology and implementing its mandate, the mission was guided by the overall concern for protection of victims and witnesses, and took the measures necessary to ensure the confidentiality of their accounts.3 11. The findings in the present report are based primarily on an analysis of first-hand information obtained through interviews conducted with victims and witnesses, consisting of civilians and military personnel, including military defectors, some of whom had refused to follow orders to shoot civilians. The findings are also based on an examination of victims of torture or other forms of ill-treatment whose injuries were still visible, and on the analysis by the mission’s forensic physician of the medical reports of wounded persons in hospitals and refugee camps outside the Syrian Arab Republic, most of whom bore firearms injuries. The mission also studied information received through written communications.4 The mission assessed the credibility of accounts on the basis of consistency among witnesses and the existence of other corroborative accounts. The mission also interviewed witnesses regarding instances in which civilians may have used violence against security personnel or others. 12. The mission also examined more than 50 videos and numerous photographic images relating to apparent human rights violations, documented in the present report, which were 2 3 4 4 OHCHR had also received a note verbale dated 15 April 2011 containing references to reforms announced by the Government. Interaction with the media was limited to statements issued by the High Commissioner in response to further deterioration in the situation in the Syrian Arab Republic, including on 9 and 15 June 2011. The Deputy High Commissioner gave media interviews in connection with the issuance of the aforementioned preliminary report on 15 June 2011. A public call for submissions was posted on the OHCHR website inviting the submission of written communications by individuals. During the period covered by its mandate, the mission received 135 communications, most of which were from Syrian human rights groups or individual activists, addressing issues relating to killings, arrests and torture.