Silke Jasso
A horrific gas attack was carried out in Syria on Tuesday. Dozens of civilians, including children, and first responders died.
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Though details of the attack are still emerging, the attack carried similarities to a 2012 attack carried out by Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, which killed 1,500 people.
On Wednesday, United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley said that Russia “shielded Assad from proposed U.N. regulations” when they voted against imposing sanctions on Syria for its use of chemical warfare.
After holding up pictures of dead civilians and children, Haley looked directly at Deputy Russian U.N. Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov while she criticized the country:
Just a few weeks ago, this council attempted to hold Assad accountable for suffocating his own people to death with toxic chemicals. Russia stood in the way of this accountability. They made an unconscionable choice. They chose to close their eyes to the barbarity. They defied the conscience of the world. Russia cannot escape responsibility for this. In fact, if Russia had been fulfilling its responsibility, there would not even be any chemical weapons left for the Syrian regime to use.
Haley then turned her attention from Safronkov and continued speaking. Haley called for countries to take their own action against the Assad regime.
