President of the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC), Nasr al-Hariri, sent a legal memorandum to the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, and the UN Security Council on the fifth anniversary of the Russian aggression against Syria.
Al-Hariri stressed that by insisting on propping up the Assad regime, Russia is aiding and abetting Assad’s brutal war on the Syrian people. He added that Russia shares the responsibility for the destruction of Syrians’ homes as well as the death, injury, detention, and displacement of millions of Syrian civilians, mostly children and women.
He pointed out that in the past five years, Russia has destroyed at least 178 medical facilities, 264 schools, 53 public markets, 96 civil defense centers, 170 mosques and churches, five archaeological sites, and 261 vital civilian centers.
“Russia is insisting on denying the truth and sided with the Assad regime despite confirmation by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) of the involvement of the Assad regime’s highest military commanders in the use of chlorine gas and sarin nerve against against civilians,” he said. “Moscow is a partner in the Assad regime’s gross violations and showing utter disregard for international resolutions and human rights reports.”
“The Assad regime and its Russian and Iranian backers have committed every single act that is forbidden under international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and international criminal law.”
Al-Hariri said that the Assad regime and Russian forces are carrying out a large-scale onslaught against the civilian population in Syria, which constitutes war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.
He called for condemning the Russian aggression on Syria; taking concrete action to stop it; forcing the Assad regime and its backers to respect international resolutions; protecting Syrian civilians; and ensuring accountability for war crimes.
Moreover, Al-Hariri stressed the need to force Russia to compensate the Syrian people for the material and moral damage it has caused since the start of its aggression on Syria.
He also called for stripping the Assad regime of the right to representation in international institutions in view of its blatant violations of United Nations Charter.
He stressed the need to support the efforts to bring about a political transition and to prevent the Assad regime from disrupting these efforts. He maintained that a radical solution to the humanitarian crisis in Syria requires reaching a political solution through the full implementation of the Geneva Communique of 2012 and UU Security Council resolutions, especially 2118 and 2254, and the General Assembly resolutions, including resolutions 262/67. (Source: SOC’s Media Department)
