UN war crimes panel seeks access to refugees in Europe

UN war crimes investigators on Monday called on European countries to let them interview more newly-arrived Syrian refugees to document fresh violations, saying it had become increasingly difficult.

The panel, set up five years ago, says it has compiled a confidential list of suspects on all sides of the conflict that have carried out war crimes or crimes against humanity. It has repeatedly called for major powers to refer Syria to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

"We are appealing to countries inside Europe hosting newly arrived Syrian refugees to grant us access and remove any barriers to our work," Paulo Pinheiro, chairman of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria, told the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva.

He did not name the European countries hampering the investigators' access to Syrian refugees. Many went to Germany after...