BEIRUT: World leaders should boycott Russian President Vladimir Putin's VIP box at next month's World Cup opening unless he takes steps to protect Syrian civilians, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday. "In hosting one of the most televised events in the world, Russia is courting world public opinion and looking for respect," HRW's executive director, Kenneth Roth, said in a statement. Billions of people worldwide are expected to watch the World Cup on television and HRW argued that Moscow's responsibility in the suffering of Syrian civilians should not be forgotten. Russia is the main exporter of weaponry to the Syrian regime and its forces provide on-the-ground support to government forces and allied militia. "World leaders should not allow a sporting event to gloss over a pattern of atrocities in Syria that now looms over two million civilians," he said.

Source: Bangkok Post May 22, 2018 08:48 UTC