Secretary of the political committee of the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC), Abdel Basset Abdel Latif, has voiced his support for a significant initiative undertaken by various Syrian civil society and human rights organizations. These organizations aim to establish an extraordinary court to hold individuals accountable for the use of chemical weapons in Syria and internationally.
In special statements made on Friday, Abdul Latif emphasized the importance of these initiatives, which seek to prosecute those responsible for crimes against the Syrian people, particularly those involving chemical weapons, since the year 2011. The objective is to achieve justice for the victims of chemical weapons attacks.
Abdul Latif pointed out that the ongoing impunity for crimes committed by the Assad regime and its allies, particularly those involving chemical weapons, poses a hindrance to the efforts of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the International, Impartial, and Independent Mechanism concerning the use of chemical weapons.
This collective call, initiated by over 15 Syrian civil society organizations, follows nearly two years of international expert consultations and extensive multilateral and bilateral discussions. The decision is grounded in a thorough analysis of legal, political, and technical considerations.
The Syrian organizations officially called for the establishment of the Extraordinary Court for Chemical Weapons on November 30, a date globally dedicated to commemorating the victims of chemical attacks. The next step in the process involves global consensus among countries for drafting the treaty in support of this initiative.
(Source: SOC’s Media Department)
