Coordinator of the Syrian National Commission for the Defense of the Rights of Detainees and Missing Persons, Yasser Al-Farhan, stressed the importance of remarks friendly states made during a panel discussion on the issue of accountability for the Assad regime held on the sidelines of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly.
The panel discussion, which came at an invitation by the Netherlands, brought together Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok, ambassadors and diplomats. Participants also included Head of the Syrian Opposition Coalition’s (SOC) legal committee, Hisham Marwa, Al-Farhan, President of the Syrian Negotiations Commission, Anas Abdah, and Head of the Detainees’ Committee, Alice Mafrej.
Al-Farhan stressed the need to invest the international political will in accountability in order to hold war criminals in Syria accountable, adding that accountability is key to achieving lasting peace in the region and reaching a political solution in accordance with UN resolutions, most importantly the Geneva Communique of 2012 and UN resolution 2254.
Participants agreed on the need to hold the Assad regime accountable for its violations of human rights by combining the various options to achieve accountability and taking concrete steps in this regard.
Participants stressed the urgent need for accountability and redressing the victims, maintaining that accountability is essential for redressing the victims; preventing mass atrocities in the future; laying the foundations for lasting peace; and fighting impunity. (Source: SOC’s Media Department)