Nader Hashemi : Human rights groups agree Syrian government is guilty of crimes against humanity . He says the brutality of al - Assad regime has gone on for decades , aided by torture . West should take steps to show respect for oppressed people of Syria , he says . Hashemi : That 's the ongoing crimes against humanity visited upon the people of Syria by the Bashar al-Assad regime and the human rights catastrophe that is unfolding before our eyes . In Syria , the colossal scale of human suffering should be foremost in our attention .
Nader Hashemi : Human rights groups agree Syrian government is guilty of crimes against humanity . He says the brutality of al - Assad regime has gone on for decades , aided by torture . West should take steps to show respect for oppressed people of Syria , he says . Hashemi : In Syria , the colossal scale of human suffering should be foremost in our attention .