UN says Syria in state of civil war, death toll exceeds 4,000

(1 Dec 2011) 1. Mid of Navi Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, taking her seat for news conference 2. Close of Pillay 3. Close of name tag reading (in English): "Navi Pillay High Commissioner for Human Rights" 4. Wide of news conference 5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Navi Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: "So I will be continuing to add my voice, that in my view, based on our own monitoring of the situation, that there is need for prosecution of perpetrators at the highest level for crimes against humanity." 6. Various of journalist typing on laptop 7. Mid of television screen on wall showing interview panel 8. Wide of screen showing interview panel, pan right to interview panel 9. SOUNDBITE: (English) Navi Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: "We are placing the figure at 4,000 but really the reliable information coming to us is that it's much more than that. I have said that as soon as there were more and more defectors threatening to take up arms - I said this in August, before the Security Council - that there is going to be a civil war. And at the moment that's how I'm characterising this." 10. Various of UN logo 11. Mid of photographer 12. Wide of panel speakers STORYLINE: The United Nations' top human rights official said on Thursday that Syria was now in a state of civil war with more than 4,000 people killed. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said the increasing number of army defectors taking up arms against the regime had pushed the country over the edge and into a civil war. "I have said that as soon as there were more and more defectors threatening to take up arms, I said this in August, before the Security Council, that there is going to be a civil war. And at the moment that's how I'm characterising this," Pillay told reporters in Geneva. Pillay said the number of dead from Syria's crackdown on the eight-month-old revolt has exceeded 4,000 people and the country's leaders should be prosecuted for crimes against humanity. Pillay's scathing criticism comes as the pressure piles on Syrian President Bashar Assad from home and abroad. But Assad has shown no signs of softening, raising fears the country could be sliding toward all out civil war. Also on Thursday, the European Union imposed fresh sanctions on Damascus, and the Syrian opposition called a general strike inside the country, ramping up efforts to persuade the country's business elite to abandon their long-standing ties to the regime. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...