Secretary of the Syrian National Coalition’s political committee, Riyad al-Hassan, stressed that the body of evidence obtained by the International Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) on the most serious crimes committed in Syria since March 2011 is more than enough to try the head of the regime and his corrupt clique.
Hassan welcomed the positions of the friendly countries at the latest UN General Assembly meeting. He stressed that peace in Syria can only be achieved through justice and accountability as well as support for IIIM’s work to hold accountable those involved in war crimes and crimes against humanity in Syria.
Hassan said that the countries concerned with upholding the values of peace and human rights in the world must work together to activate IIIM at a time when impunity looks poised to prevail amid attempts by some of the Assad regime’s allies to conceal the facts about the use of chemical weapons against the Syrian people.
Moreover, Hassan stressed that bringing criminals in Syria to justice will not only redress the victims, but will also pave the way for holding to account the perpetrators of war crimes and human rights violators across the rest of the world.
Hassan’s remarks came in response to a UN reports about the existence of more than a million documents about crimes committed in Syria since 2011, according to the IIIM’s third report. The evidence includes documents, videos and photographs and testimonies from witnesses and victims.
The UN Human Rights Council established the International Independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria on Aug. 22, 2011, to investigate all violations in the country. The UN Security Council in 2016 adopted a resolution to establish the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) to assist in investigating and prosecuting crimes in breach of international law.
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
