A/HRC/21/32 illegal unilateral coercive sanctions by the United States, the European Union, the League of Arab States, Turkey, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, Japan and others”. The Government pointed out that the sanctions targeted all aspects of life, including the economy, finance, agriculture, industry, food, medicine, tourism, transportation, science and culture. The Government described the sanctions as amounting to collective punishment aimed at obtaining political gain through pressure on the Syrian people, who were directly suffering from these unilateral measures. IV. Implementation of Human Rights Council resolution 19/22 17. In its resolution 19/22, the Human Rights Council requested actions from the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic, particularly in paragraphs 3, 4, 9, 11, 12, 13, 17 and 18. The Government, in its note verbale dated 16 July 2012, stated that the responsibility to implement the bulk of the demands to halt the violence and human rights violations made in resolution 19/22 lay on “terrorist armed groups” and on the Member States funding, supporting and harbouring these groups. The Government called upon the international community to put an end to this foreign intervention and to assert pressure on these Member States to stop human rights violations by proxy through the acts of “terrorist armed groups”. A. 1. Ending violence and human rights violations Violence 18. The Human Rights Council, in paragraphs 3, 4 and 13 (a) of resolution 19/22, strongly urged the Syrian authorities to put an immediate end to violence and all human rights violations, and demanded that it meet its responsibility to protect its population. In paragraph 13 (c), the Council demanded that the Government withdraw all military and armed forces from cities and towns in accordance with the Plan of Action of the League of Arab States of 2 November 2011 and the League’s decisions of 22 January and 12 February 2012. 19. Under the six-point plan, the Government committed to bring an immediate end to all forms of violence by all parties and to protect civilians. It should be recalled that, in a communication addressed to the Joint Special Envoy on 1 April 2012, the Government had committed to the immediate cessation of troop movements, an end to the use of heavy weapons in population centres, and to begin to pull back military concentrations in and around population centres no later than 10 April 2012. Similar commitments to respect the cessation of violence from anti-Government armed groups were sought by the Joint Special Envoy. 20. The ceasefire that came into effect on 12 April held for several days. From 16 April until early May 2012, the cessation of armed violence was not fully respected; however, a general reduction in violence was reported, including in the use of heavy weaponry. The presence of UNSMIS observers in some areas appeared to have a calming effect. 21. In early May 2012, an increase in the number and size of improvised explosive devices marked a significant deterioration in the situation on the ground. On 10 May, in Damascus, two suicide-bomb attacks targeted Government facilities, resulting in the killing and injury of members of Government forces and of civilians. The following day, in Aleppo, a bomb exploded in a market area, and Government forces reportedly seized a truck carrying heavy explosive devices before it could detonate. At the same time, there were reports of intermittent fighting between the parties to the conflict and of an increase in the number of heavy weapons used by Government forces in or near population centres. 7