UN says 5,000 civilians killed in Syrian uprising

The UN high commissioner for human rights Navi Pillay told a closed session of the Security Council that the death toll from the Damascus government's crackdown on anti-regime activists is believed to be of 5,000 people.

Pillay added that a further 14,000 people are believed to have been arrested and 12,400 fled to neighbouring countries. Pillay described the situation as "intolerable" and said crimes against humanity had probably been committed.

Syria's ambassador to the UN Bashar Jaafari, rejected the figures, saying Pillay was "not objective" and "not fair".

Pillay said her estimate of more than 5,000 deaths did not include security forces. The Syrian government has said more than 1,000 of its police and troops have been killed since Anti-government protests commenced in March.

Syria's ambassador to the UN said the figures were incorrect and said the UN is being "misled" by the allegations of 233 defectors.

It is difficult to confirm the exact casualty toll in Syria because there are no independent monitors or observers because Syrian authorities have not allowed the international media access to the country.

The UN high commissioner for human rights said the protesters in Syria had remained largely peaceful since the uprising erupted in March, but that attacks against Syrian government had been increasing in frequency and violence.