Members of the European Parliament have called for the establishment of a Syrian war crimes tribunal and the referral of Syria to the International Criminal Court as attacks by the Assad regime continue to cause mounting civilian casualties in many areas across Syria, particularly in eastern Ghouta.
In a meeting in Strasbourg, France on Thursday, MEPs said that the Assad regime, Russia and Iran “must respect the 30-day ceasefire and bear the responsibility for the heinous crimes committed in Syria.”
MEPs strongly condemned “all atrocities, shelling of civilians and widespread violations of human rights and international law committed in Syria during the seven-year conflict.”
“The Syrian regime, and its allies Russia and Iran are responsible under international law for the heinous crimes they continue to commit in Syria and the economic consequences of their military interventions.”
“Repeated regional and international attempts to end the war have failed. However, MEPs urge that hope must not be lost and efforts to find a political solution through the UN-led Geneva process must be renewed,” MEPs added.
This war has taken 400 000 Syrian lives, thousands more have been injured and millions have been displaced, said MEPs.
They called on EU foreign policy chief Mogherini to step up the EU’s role in peace talks, support the no-fly zones, and actively back Syrian civil society. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
