Canada, Netherlands taking Syria to court over torture
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The governments of Canada and the Netherlands are suing the Syrian government in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the ICU reported today, June 12.
The two Western states hope that the ICJ will issue emergency orders for Syria to cease all acts of torture and cruel treatment and to end arbitrary detentions.
In their application, they claim that “Syria has committed countless violations of International law, beginning at least in 2011,” and demanded emergency measures be taken to protect those at risk of being tortured.
Canada and the Netherlands had previously tried to refer human rights violations by Syria to the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC), but were stopped by a Russian veto in the UN Security Council.
Torture in Syrian prisons is well-documented, including by the so-called Caesar files, which were smuggled out of the country by a whistleblower and showcase 6,786 victims of the Syrian government.
Nevertheless, holding members of the Syrian government and security forces has proved elusive. Only one such case, in Germany, has resulted in a conviction.