A/HRC/18/53 [Unofficial translation] Note verbale dated 14 June 2011 from the Permanent Mission of the Syrian Arab Republic addressed to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Geneva, 14 June 2011 In relation to the campaign conducted by circuits hostile to Syria, a misleading media campaign related to the death of the boy Hamza Al Khateeb, and in response to the presidential decision, an administrative order number 913/S was issued in May 30th, 2011, stipulating the creation of a committee presided by the Deputy of the Minister of Interior, and consists of the following members: The Director of Criminal Security The Military Prosecutor The Commander of Military Police And the Criminal Investigations Security branch director The mission of this committee consists of investigating claims of acts of violence and torture on the cadaver of the child Hamza Al Khateeb. Immediately, the committee took the following steps with the intention to reach the truth about this issue: 1. All committee members moved to the Teshreen Military Hospital, to view 6 colored photos, each of them carry the number 23, because there was no identification of the cadaver at the moment the photos were taken. It portrayed the cadaver in several different positions. The photos were included in the investigation file according to regulation procedures. 2. Committee members viewed a copy of the forensic file that was established by a committee of three medical doctors created by the Judge on duty on April 30th, 2011. 3. The committee which was composed of three medical doctors was mandated to make a comparative study of the photos taken of the boy Hamza Al Khateeb in Teshreen Military Hospital on April 4th, 2011, compared to the photos taken in the National Hospital in Darra on May, 24th, 2011, the medical committee presented a 2-page report about the subject. 4. The committee also viewed the report established by Deputy General Prosecutor of Damascus, explaining the investigative judiciary measures taken during examination of the cadaver of Hamza Al Khateeb. 5. June 1st, 2011, the committee called on forensic doctor who had performed examination on the cadaver of Hamza Al Khateeb at the National Hospital in Darra and established a report, aimed at understanding the scientific facts that would not leave any room for doubt. The three members of the committee of medical doctors –mentioned above- who have examined the cadaver were also called, they held a meeting and discussed the situation from technical, medical and scientific view points, and reached a conclusion specifying that an amputation of the boy’s penis had not occurred. The physical loss might have taken place during an advanced stage of decomposition of the body, or with skin friction at the area during the transportation of the cadaver, which explains the situation. 43