The International Court of Justice held its first session within the framework of the trial of the Syrian regime based on the complaint submitted by the Netherlands and Canada regarding the Syrian regime’s violation of the Convention against Torture.
And committing widespread torture and killing under torture in prisons and detention centers of the Syrian regime.
The United States welcomed Canada and the Netherlands filing a lawsuit against the Syrian regime before the International Court of Justice, due to its violations of the rights of detainees in its prisons.
This came in a statement issued by US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.
Miller said, “The United States, with the decision of Canada and the Netherlands, to initiate legal proceedings in the International Court of Justice to hold the Syrian regime accountable for the reported torture of thousands of individuals by it.”
He added: “For more than 12 years, the Assad regime has been responsible for countless atrocities, including murder, torture, enforced disappearances, the use of chemical weapons and other inhumane acts.”
He also stressed that these violations are “well documented,” and the Assad regime must be held accountable for them, stressing that the United States and its international partners will continue to search for a lasting political solution in Syria based on justice and accountability.
Canada and the Netherlands file a lawsuit against the Syrian regime
The State Court of Justice announced in a statement last Monday that Canada and the Netherlands had filed a lawsuit against the regime due to the torture and inhuman treatment faced by detainees in its prisons.
The two countries called for urgent measures to be taken to protect those at risk of torture in the regime’s prisons, including issuing orders to release arbitrarily detained persons and allowing international observers to enter detention centers.
The lawsuit submitted to the court mentioned some of the Syrian regime’s violations, including the use of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment of detainees.
The lawsuit also spoke of inhumane conditions in places of detention, forced disappearances, the use of sexual and gender-based violence, and violence against children.
These violations also included the use of chemical weapons, with the aim of intimidating and punishing the civilian population, which led to numerous deaths, injuries, and severe physical and mental suffering.
The Syrian opposition welcomes the decision of Canada and the Netherlands
The Syrian National Coalition welcomed the joint lawsuit submitted by the Netherlands and Canada against the regime, stressing the importance of such steps despite their delay.
The coalition appreciated all the effective international efforts that go into holding the regime accountable for “thousands of war crimes it committed against innocent people in Syria.”
He also stressed that the international community is required to take strict measures to hold this regime accountable, provide justice for millions of victims, and achieve a political transition in Syria in accordance with Resolution 2254.
It is worth noting that the head of the United Nations Fact-Finding Committee in Syria, Paulo Pinheiro, welcomed the lawsuit, stressing that it is “a historic measure to hold the Syrian regime accountable for tens of thousands who have been subjected to torture and ill-treatment in detention centers.”
