The United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Syria said it had been painstakingly gathering information about possible war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the past six years in Syria.
The BBC on Tuesday cited commission member Carla Del Ponte as saying that the violations in Syria are by far the worst she has ever come across. “But nothing happens, only words, words, and more words.”
The investigators have produced 13 reports, the evidence in each is harrowing. “Villages destroyed, crops burnt, wells poisoned, torture, rape, starvation sieges, mass bombing of civilians, and what only a decade ago might have been unthinkable – chemical weapons,” the commission said.
“In each report there is a demand for accountability – that no-one should be allowed to commit such horrific acts and get away with it.”
As for the investigation panel the UN set up in December 2016 to investigate war crimes in Syria, Alain Werner, director of Civitas Maxima, said the move gave him “hope that something is moving.” Civitas Maxima is a Swiss organization that works to ensure justice for victims of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
“It is very difficult to think there will be no justice” in view of the scale of the atrocities in Syria, Werner said. However, because the number of cases is “staggering”, he said justice is unlikely to be swift. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department + BBC)
