The Syrian Coalition said that the release of detainees from the prisons of the Assad regime will enhance the chances of reaching a political solution in Syria. It stressed that both UN Security Council resolution 2254 and the “cessation of hostilities” agreement called for the release of detainees.
At a meeting with representatives of the of Friends of the Syrian people group on Wednesday, members of the Syrian Coalition’s political committee stressed the need for the immediate release of the detainees, especially women and children, before the resumption of the scheduled for next week.
A report by the UN Commission of Inquiry released on February 8 said that the death of thousands of detainees in the Assad regime’s prisons amounts to “genocide” and “crimes against humanity.” The report points to the need for referring perpetrators of these crimes to the International Criminal Court.
The meeting discussed procedures that need to be taken by the United Nations to stop the Assad regime’s violations of the truce agreement. Members of the political committee pointed out the fact that the Assad regime seeks to cause the truce to collapse in order to disrupt the political process and the forthcoming negotiations in Geneva.
The meeting also discussed the latest political and field developments, while members of the political committee emphasized the need for the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid to the district of Darya in Rural Damascus as no aid has so far been allowed into the besieged district.
Members of the political committee also stressed that the truce currently being observed in the neighborhood of Al-Waer in Homs was reached in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 2268; that is why the Assad regime and Russia cannot consider it a separate truce agreement. (Source: Syrian Coalition)
