The Syrian Opposition Coalition (SIC) welcomed France’s brave announcement that it remains fully mobilized to ensure that the Assad regime is brought to justice for the crimes it is committing against the Syrian people. This came after the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs said it handed large body of evidence on Assad regime’s atrocities to the National Counterterrorism Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT).
In statement issued on Friday, the French foreign ministry stated that it had received “important documentation of possible crimes committed by Syrian regime forces.” It added that “these documents, which include a large number of photos and videos, provide evidence of atrocities committed by pro-regime forces during the 2013 Tadamon massacre in Damascus.”
SOC’s Vice President for Foreign Affairs, Abdulahad Astepho, said that the French move is crucial to achieving one of the most important tracks of political solution, namely accountability. He stressed that without accountability for criminals, there will be no sustainable and viable solution in Syria.
Astepho pointed out that Russia’s support for the Assad regime should not prevent states from taking serious positions regarding holding the Assad regime and its symbols accountable for their crimes against the Syrian people, many of which have been documented and confirmed by independent international reports and investigations.
He called on all sisterly and friendly states to take similar moves and work to refer this file to the International Criminal Court.
The French Foreign Ministry stressed that “the fight against impunity is a matter of justice for the victims. It is also an essential prerequisite for building a lasting peace in Syria. After a decade of crimes against the Syrian people, France remains fully mobilized to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.”
Last April, the Guardian newspaper published a video that it said was leaked by a soldier in the Assad regime forces. The video shows militants of Branch 227 of the Assad regime’s military intelligence executing at least 41 civilians and burning their bodies in al-Tadamon district in Damascus back in April 16, 2013.
(Source: SOC’s Media Department)
