GENEVA – There is a danger that important evidence of torture and other crimes is being lost in Syria, as families of missing people desperately seek news of their loved ones, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Alice Jill Edwards warned today.
Edwards published a position paper today relevant to the International Court of Justice’s forthcoming case against the Syrian Arab Republic. The position paper covers extensive allegations of torture and other inhuman treatment that has been actioned by her and her predecessors since the start of the country’s civil war in 2011 to date.
“So many Syrians have been tortured, so many have disappeared and so many have been murdered in the past five decades, especially since 2011,” Edwards said.
“These tragedies are now tumbling into public view, as victims stumble out of prisons and detention centres across Syria.”
“The torture and ill-treatment of the Assad regime included beatings, insults and humiliation, electric shocks, as well as individuals being restrained on improvised metal and wooden racks,” the expert said. “Burns, bullet wounds, and other signs of cruelty including sexual torture are documented.”
“A consistent lack of safe drinking water, nutrition and essential supplies, and failure to provide adequate medical treatment for the sick, were endemic and led to terrible suffering.”
Official communications sent to the Syrian Arab Republic since 2011 included allegations relating to 119 named individuals, who have been through torture of the kind that many thousands have experienced.
“They paint a picture of the systemic and serious nature of these crimes with allegations of torture and ill-treatment coming from prisons across the country, including the infamous Sednaya Prison,” Edwards said.
“The Syrian people – who have been through so much – continue to endure the pain of torture and ill-treatment, and regrettably many will do for a long time to come,” she said. “It’s essential that they see justice and rehabilitation for the crimes they have endured. There must be an independent and impartial body to investigate and prosecute those who have committed torture and other crimes during the civil war.”
“Concerns about enforced disappearances have been frequently raised and this is reflected in the current desperate hunt so many Syrians are undergoing for news about relatives. At the same time, I am concerned that crime scenes are being contaminated and valuable opportunities to gather evidence for future prosecutions are being lost,” the Special Rapporteur said.
In October Edwards report to the General Assembly included information about ongoing large-scale torture in Syria’s prisons and detention centres. The torture expert is also concerned about previous allegations of torture by armed groups that currently have influence in Syria including Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and ISIS.
“At this time, there is a great opportunity for a reset. That must include a total ban on torture. I remind those presently in charge and any future Syrian government that the country’s obligations as a party to the Convention against Torture remain in place and the ICJ’s provisional measures must be adhered to,” Edwards said.
The Special Rapporteur’s position paper is available here.
Note to editors: The International Court of Justice case that is referenced is: Application of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (Canada and The Netherlands v. Syrian Arab Republic)
Dr. Alice Jill Edwards, Special Rapporteur on Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent of any government or organisation and serve in their individual capacity.
UN Human Rights, Country Page – Syrian Arab Republic
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