SYRIAN REGIME FAILED TO COMPLY WITH ICJ ORDER TO PREVENT TORTURE, HRW REPORTS

Fri 22 November 2024:

Syria has failed to comply with an order by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to halt and prevent torture in the country, a leading human rights organisation has reported.

In November last year, the ICJ issued provisional measures ordering the Syrian government to combat torture, following the Netherlands’ and Canada’s case against Damascus alleging that the regime is violating the international Convention against Torture by conducting enforced disappearances, the unlawful treatment of detainees, and subjecting them to inhumane detention conditions.

The case also cited the regime’s use of sexual and gender-based violence, violence against children, and the use of chemical weapons as evidence that Syria is violating that Convention.

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A year after that ICJ order, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has asserted that research shows that Syrians continue to remain at significant “risk of enforced disappearance, death from torture and horrific detention conditions”.

In the article HRW published this week on the issue, it also featured and highlighted numerous Syrian activists’ efforts to pursue accountability for the ongoing human rights violations and abuses carried out by the Syrian regime.

“Syrian officials are still sending people to the country’s detention centres, which are notorious for torture”, stated Balkees Jarrah, HRW’s Associate Director for International Justice. “Despite the odds, Syrian families and survivors remain determined in their struggle for justice, whether through the world’s highest court or other avenues.”

She added that this past year “has only confirmed the horrific blueprint the Syrian government has used for over a decade now: detain, disappear, torture and kill,” Jarrah said. “Governments should urgently use their leverage to ensure that Syria abides by the World Court’s order and support all efforts to pursue justice for ongoing abuses.”

Regarding the ongoing case against the regime, Canada and the Netherlands reportedly have until 3 February 2025 to submit their main written pleadings in the file.

-MEMO

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