Human Rights Watch (HRW) welcomed the Dutch government’s announcement it will file legal complaints against the Assad regime for its involvement in gross human rights violations, especially torture.
HRW’s Senior Counsel on international justice, Balkees Jarrah, said that all governments, especially those horrified by the Assad regime’s brutality, should publicly welcome this move and look for similar avenues to affirm the rule of law.
Jarrah added that for the past several years, thousands were systematically starved, beaten and tortured to death in the prisons of the Assad regime.
Jarrah pointed out that by using the Convention against Torture to demand justice, the Netherlands is defending countless victims in a procedure that could ultimately lead to a lawsuit in the world’s highest court.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Dutch government said that it informed the Foreign Ministry of the Assad regime in a diplomatic note of its decision to hold it responsible under international law for gross human rights violations and for violating the UN Convention against Torture.
Meanwhile, the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) hailed the Dutch government decision as it expressed its full support for the Netherlands’ efforts to obtain justice for the victims. (Source: SOC’s Media Department)
