Syria death toll 'exceeds 5,000', says UN's Navi Pillay
Navi Pillay told a closed session of the Security Council that 14,000 people are believed to have been arrested and 12,400 fled to neighbouring countries.
At least 20 people died in clashes on Monday, opposition activists said.
Amid the violence, local polls were held, but turnout is expected to have been very low.
Authorities said the vote had been freer than in previous years, but the opposition called for a boycott and launched a general strike.
The Syrian state news agency said people had flocked to polling stations.
But in opposition strongholds activists said there were few signs that an election was even happening, and almost no-one was voting, says the BBC's Jonathan Head in neighbouring Turkey.
Call for action
Navi Pillay described the situation in Syria as "intolerable" and said crimes against humanity had probably been committed.
Ms Pillay said her estimate of more than 5,000 deaths did not include security forces. The Syrian government has said more than 1,000 of its police and troops have been killed.
It is difficult to confirm the exact casualty toll in Syria because there are no independent monitors on the ground and Syrian authorities have not allowed the international media access to the country.
The UN official said the protesters in Syria had remained largely peaceful since the uprising erupted in March, but that attacks against Syrian government had been increasing.
Ms Pillay warned that inaction by the international community would only embolden the Syrian authorities.
The EU has imposed 10 rounds of sanctions on the Syrian government, and the Arab League has suspended it, but the UN has not yet passed a resolution condemning Damascus.
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