Further pressure on Syria from a United Nations body, its human rights commission urging the international community to step in to avoid civil war.
French U.N. ambassador Jean-Baptiste Mattei:
FRENCH AMBASSADOR TO UN, JEAN-BAPTISTE MATTEI, SAYING:
"The situation in Syria is worsened day by day. The human rights commission announced yesterday that there are about, or at least, 4,000 people who have been killed by the Syrian regime. So what we wish to do with this third session, that is dedicated to Syria, is to send a very strong message to the regime in Damascus."
This emergency session was called following a U.N. report saying Syrian forces have committed crimes against humanity including executions, torture and rape.
They estimate more than 4,000 people have been killed since March and more than 14,000 people are believed to be in detention.
Footage posted to a social media site -- which Reuters cannot indendently verify -- purports to show the funeral on Thursday of a man killed by Syrian authorities.
Independent reporting inside Syria is restricted.
Lily Grimes, Reuters