A/HRC/19/11 92. Kyrgyzstan condemned the use of force against peaceful demonstrators and urged all parties to show restraint. It hoped that Syria would implement the announced political reforms, and welcomed steps to amend legislation under which prisoners of conscience had been jailed, and to regulate peaceful assembly and the establishment of political parties. It urged Syria to fully cooperate with the commission of inquiry. It made recommendations. 93. Sweden was concerned that the indiscriminate and disproportionate use of violence was continuing. It referred to repeated promises to investigate and prosecute all crimes against civilians and security personnel. It also noted a policy of arbitrary arrests and detention by security and military forces, and reports of enforced disappearances, including of children, and of detainees being held in unofficial detention centres. Sweden made recommendations. 94. Commenting on observations made by the Netherlands, Syria reaffirmed its continued engagement in comprehensive reform, but rejected allegations that persons wounded in the recent events did not have access to health care or to hospitals. The delegation furthermore regretted that in all the statements made concerning protesters, there was no mention of the presence of armed gangs, although more than 1,100 members of the military and security forces had been killed. 95. The delegation stressed that Syria was cooperating with the human rights mechanisms, noting that last year, Syria had received visits from the Special Rapporteur on the right to food and the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, and it would welcome more such visits once the situation returned to normal. 96. Concerning queries on the Kurdish population, the delegation stated that they were an integral part of the citizenship of Syria, and that there was no discrimination against them or any other citizens based on race, ethnicity or origin. 97. On allegations concerning massive arrests, detentions and killings, Syria assured that such information was unfounded, as arrests only targeted those who were breaking the law and attacking private and public property. Such persons were detained according to the law, and there were no enforced disappearances. Detention centres and prisons were constantly monitored. The ICRC had visited prisons and not found any cases of torture or enforced disappearance. Last year, the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances had considered similar accusations and concluded that they were unfounded. Concerning the alleged impunity of security personnel involvement in torture, the delegation assured that it could give to the Human Rights Council the names of officers who had committed violations and had been referred to justice for prosecution. 98. Syria appreciated the constructive, positive observations and proposals made by friendly delegations, which would encourage Syria to continue its efforts for the protection and promotion of human rights. However, it noted that unfortunately some statements had deliberately politicized the issues and used hostile terminology, which did not serve the cause of human rights. 99. In conclusion, the delegation reaffirmed that Syria remained strong and would overcome the crisis. It had already made much progress in that regard. With its long history, Syria would continue to be a pioneer among the countries adhering to their human rights obligations. After completion of the reforms initiated by the President it would be a model for democracy, with a multiparty system and full respect for human rights. Syria still needed some time to achieve this and hoped to return at the next review with a new image of Syria. 13