A/HRC/18/53 Government criticized the role of the media in distorting the facts, and claimed that the reference to a “repressive minority” in the report was unacceptable. It also claimed that this particular reference demonstrated the biased approach of the mission. According to the note verbale, the reference to 1,900 people killed in the country was correct. However, it added that the figure included police and security officers, as well as victims of terrorist armed groups. The Government also explained that 120 police officers had been brutally killed in Jisr-el Shoughour by armed groups. III. Patterns of violations 69. The mission found a pattern of human rights violations constituting widespread or systematic attacks against the civilian population, which may amount to crimes against humanity, as provided for in article 7 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. A. Murder and disappearances 70. Following the widespread killing of civilians by Government-controlled security forces, the Syrian Arab Republic has grossly violated the non-derogable right to life, enshrined in article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. 71. The mission gathered corroborative eyewitness statements on numerous summary executions, including 353 named victims. In addition, the mission found corroborative accounts indicating that members of the security forces posed as civilians in order to cause unrest and to depict an inaccurate view of events. Civilians were often able to distinguish themselves from members of the security forces, who wore colour-coded armbands.64 Several types of security forces and the army were deployed to the demonstrations, but were clearly not trained in crowd control. 72. While violent incidents have been caused by a minority of civilians in some demonstrations,65 the disproportionate use of force by military and security forces are a violation of the State’s international human rights obligations. 73. Reports from a wide variety of sources assert that the demonstrations were mostly peaceful. Civilians of all ages participated in protests and often carried olive branches or bared their chests to show that they were unarmed. Government-controlled media channels reported these events inaccurately, in most cases attributing disturbances to “terrorist” elements.66 Most killings reported were due to live ammunition fired by security forces, the military and Shabbiha members using Kalashnikovs and other guns.67 Reports from witnesses indicate that there was a widespread modus operandi to kill civilians by using (a) forces on the ground; (b) snipers on rooftops; and (c) air power. 64 65 66 67 20 According to some reports, various security units would even at times shoot at each other. For example, the mission received uncorroborated accounts from Baniyas and Jisr Al Shughour of the killing of security or other officials by demonstrators or unidentified persons. For example, there are corroborated reports that security forces planted weapons in the Omari Mosque in the city of Dar’a after clearing it and murdering civilians, then blamed innocent demonstrators. For the version of the Syrian Arab News Agency (DARA), see www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/04/27/343519.htm. In several incidents documented by the mission, Shabbiha members used knives or bayonets to kill protestors.