Press Statement

Salem Al Meslet

Syrian Coalition Spokesperson

May 13, 2015

Following reports that the Commission for International Justice and Accountability (CIJA) has been able to procure enough documents to indict Assad and his regime on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, spokesperson of the Syrian Coalition said:

“The work of the CIJA, carried out by international legal experts along with a team of courageous Syrian investigators, is further evidence that Assad himself is involved in committing atrocities against the people of Syria. The evidence compiled by the commission will be crucial to the work of any future tribunal on Syria.

“UN investigators have previously concluded that they had found enough evidence to suggest the involvement of ‘the highest level of government, including the head of state’ in war crimes and human rights abuses.

“Concrete steps towards accountability can act as a deterrent to atrocities and help reduce the level of violence in Syria. Accountability is also a crucial component of a transition to democracy in post-war Syria. In order to live side by side in a harmonious stable environment, the Syrian people need to see perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity held accountable.

“A deadlocked UN Security Council has until now been unable to refer the Syria dossier to the International Criminal Court and has made impossible the establishment of an ad hoc tribunal on Syria. The vital challenge remains for the UN to find ways to overcome such a system failure in order to remain an efficient international platform to discuss disputes, promote solutions to conflicts, and provide protection to vulnerable civilians caught in all sorts of disasters across the world.

“As the UN becomes more and more dysfunctional, the prospects for peace and security around the world will be diminished, and lawlessness, terrorism, chaos and conflict will spread like wildfire and engulf the planet, with millions of civilians facing the deadly consequences.”