The State of Qatar has renewed its support for the International Impartial and Independent Mechanism to hold accountable those accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Syria, stressing that sustainable peace in Syria can only be achieved through justice by ensuring accountability.
This came in a statement made by HE Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Sheikha Alia Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani at the UN General Assembly meeting on the report of the “International Impartial and Independent Mechanism to Assist in the Investigation and Prosecution of Persons Responsible for the Most Serious Crimes under International Law Committed in the Syrian Arab Republic since March 2011.”
Al-Thani said that the State of Qatar’s keenness in the International Impartial and Independent Mechanism stems from its moral and legal responsibility to bring justice to the victims, as well as its keenness to enhance chances of achieving sustainable peace in Syria, which can only be achieved through justice by ensuring accountability.
She also stressed on the importance of international efforts to activate the mechanism in light of the clear manifestations of impunity and attempts to conceal the facts about the use of chemical weapons and other crimes.
Al-Thani stressed that predictable funding for the mechanism, starting in 2020, through the regular budget of the United Nations would ensure its credibility and independence.
She pointed in the statement to the State of Qatar continued support for the mechanism, noting that in 2019, Qatar provided $1 million to support the mechanism.
Moreover, Al-Thani said that supporting the mechanism should be continued, including political support and cooperation in providing information and evidence of violations to the mechanism, underlying the importance of effective coordination in the exchange of ideas, experiences, information and evidence between the Mechanism, international organizations and United Nations entities such as the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, as well as civil society organizations.
She commended the leadership of the Mechanism for following the highest professional standards and for seeking to take advantage of modern and innovative methods and technology to maximize the impact and effectiveness of the mechanism. She also encouraged the leadership of the Mechanism to continue to apply a comprehensive approach to achieve justice as a model for an effective and accountable institution, expressing hope that the mechanism will be fully activated as soon as possible.
In mid-April, Catherine Marchi-Uhel, President of the International Impartial and Independent Mechanism to assist in the investigation and prosecution of persons responsible for the most serious crimes committed in Syria, said the victims of the majority of conflicts around the world have not been able to obtain the required justice.
Marchi-Uhel said that mechanism initiated by Qatar and some other countries for a fact-finding mission in Syria, has resulted in equipping the international community better to achieve accountability. She was referring to the UN’s adoption of a resolution in 2016 to establish an impartial, independent mechanism to address human rights violations. She described the resolution as crucial to achieving justice and ensuring that evidence is collected and dealt with in accordance with international criminal standards.
The UN Human Rights Council established the International Independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria on August 22, 2011 to investigate all violations in the country. The UN Security Council in 2016 adopted a resolution to establish the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) to assist in investigating and prosecuting crimes under international law in Syria. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
