Published January 11,2025
Subscribe
Lawyers representing victims in Syria inspired the International Criminal Court (ICC) to ‘urgently’ subject arrest warrants for Bashar al-Assad and 17 senior officers for struggle crimes and crimes towards humanity.
In an announcement Thursday after assembly Syrian authorities, Gulden Sonmez and Cihat Gokdemir stated they initiated proceedings in 2017 on behalf of their shoppers, who suffered below the Baath regime, to prosecute Assad and senior navy and political figures on the ICC in The Hague.
Highlighting that victims’ case information stay energetic attributable to situations linked to the Syrian struggle, Sonmez and Gokdemir stated: “With the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on Dec. 8, 2024, the crimes against humanity and war crimes committed by the Assad regime have been exposed to the world.”
The legal professionals urged swift motion. “We call upon the ICC prosecutor from Damascus to urgently issue arrest warrants for Bashar al-Assad and senior officials based on the existing case files.”
– CALL FOR INVESTIGATIONS, JUSTICE
Sonmez and Gokdemir urged the ICC to ship a delegation to Syria for on-site investigations.
“In this horrific war, marked by systematic torture, rape, and the use of chemical and other weapons of mass destruction, trials against war criminals must be initiated urgently to ensure justice for the victims,” stated the assertion.
They additionally invited establishments, NGOs and people with proof of the regime’s crimes to share info or intervene within the ICC case.
“We are open to all forms of cooperation to ensure justice,” the legal professionals stated, calling for petitions and supporting proof to strengthen the case.
-Next steps
Speaking exterior a courthouse in Damascus, Sonmez stated their workforce spent 10 days in Syria assembly victims and assessing their experiences first-hand.
“We will return to Istanbul and then proceed to The Hague with our delegation of international lawyers to take steps toward the arrest of Assad and other perpetrators,” stated Sonmez.
Assad, who dominated Syria for practically 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime forces captured Damascus on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party’s six-decade rule.
The regime’s collapse adopted a speedy offensive by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighters, who seized key cities in lower than two weeks.
Source: www.anews.com.tr