UN no longer 'fit for purpose' after Syria, says Amnesty

Only after a year of protests did the UN come up with "a feeble resolution that allowed a handful of UN observers into Syria".

Russia, which is a major arms supplier to Syria, used its veto to stymie calls for sanctions, an arms embargo or to refer Syria's leaders to the International Criminal Court.

Saying that the global body "seemed tired, out of step and anachronistic", Mr Shetty argued that the power of veto held by the permanent five members – Russia, China, Britain, France and the United States – had been deployed over the years too freely to serve their political and commercial interests.

"If the veto is used, there should be a clear explanation of why, an obligation to justify such action," he said.

The report highlighted remarkable strides in human rights last year, with anti-democratic leaders overthrown in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen and Libya, and Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi freed from house arrest to stand for election.

But it said that emerging powers such as India, Brazil and South Africa were too often complicit in countenancing human rights abuses through their silence at the UN.

"They claim to be independent. India is the biggest democracy in the world and South Africa's story is all about human rights.

"They are starting to flex their economic muscle but have been hiding behind the big powers in the political sphere," said Mr Shetty.