The chief United Nations Human Rights official deemed the siege and bombing of eastern Aleppo in Syria "crimes of historic proportions."<br />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.<br />"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.<br />Britain and other countries, including the U.S., held the special one-day session in order to set up a special inquiry on Aleppo.<br />Russia has denied any deliberate targeting of civilians and says it is combating terrorists.
