The chief United Nations Human Rights official deemed the siege and bombing of eastern Aleppo in Syria "crimes of historic proportions."
Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein was careful not to name Russia, whose war planes have brought significant destruction and casualties to the region, in a special session of the U.N. Human Rights Council.
"The violations and abuses suffered by people across the country, including the siege and bombardment of eastern Aleppo, are simply not tragedies; they also constitute crimes of historic proportions," Zeid told the Geneva session by video link.
Britain and other countries, including the U.S., held the special one-day session in order to set up a special inquiry on Aleppo.
Russia has denied any deliberate targeting of civilians and says it is combating terrorists.