Vice-President of the Syrian Coalition Hisham Marwa said “that Assad is now effectively outside power in Syria and is leading an armed outlawed militia. His survival in power is therefore internationally unacceptable as a war criminal involved in crimes against humanity and cannot remain a president,” during an interview with Al-Aan TV channel.
Marwa pointed out that the international courts have specific lists of names of regime officials involved in crimes against humanity, such as the mass torture of detainees in Assad’s prisons which was revealed by the former regime police photographer code-named Caesar.
Marwa added that the Assad regime’s crimes have met all the conditions qualifying them to be regarded as full crimes, as the announcement of a specific rights group that it intends to prosecute the criminals means they are able to bring these criminals to international courts.”
Marwa noted that “war criminals will be brought to the international courts such as the ICC in the Hague and can also be brought to special international courts or to a Syrian court under the so-called personal authority of the Syrian law. A lawsuit will be filed against criminals at any time no matter how long it takes as by way of custom of international law, genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes are usually not subject to statute of limitations, nor to prescription.
He also said that Russia’s vetoing of a UN resolution to refer all crimes committed in Syria to the international courts clearly shows that the Russians are fully aware their ally Assad and his inner circle have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Al-Aan TV)
