WASHINGTON D.C.—On June 8, the Netherlands and Canada started joint legal proceedings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against the Syrian Arab Republic for their violations of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhumane, and Degrading Treatment or Punishment. This is a great step towards achieving international justice and accountability for years of human rights abuses committed by Bashar Al-Assad’s regime.
As a party to this Convention, Syria is bound to uphold and protect the rights of citizens defined within it. However, since the beginning of the revolution in 2011, large-scale evidence of the regime’s systematic torture, detention, killing, and disappearance of civilians as well as the use of chemical weapons, gender-based violence, violence against children, and other forms of terror against them has been brought to light. Therefore, under Article 36, paragraph 1 of the statute of the ICJ, the court has jurisdiction over Syria’s non-compliance with the Convention and the ability to call it into question.
This recent action by the Netherlands and Canada should stand as an example for other countries to hold the Syrian regime and other perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity accountable for their actions on an international level. The Syrian Emergency Task Force applauds their efforts to support the movement for justice and sustainable peace for the Syrian people.
For press inquiries please contact:
Veronica Zanetta Brandoni
Director of Advocacy
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