Shocking findings

Amnesty International (AI) has recently charged Syria with carrying out mass executions of detainees at Saydnaya prison, some 30 north of Damascus.

In a 48-page report based on interviews with 84 former detainees, judges, guards and human rights experts from the Saydnaya military prison, AI says that up to 13,000, mostly civilians, “were systematically killed in groups of as many as 50 twice a week over the last five years in executions that were sanctioned at the ‘highest levels’ of the Syrian government”.

This is a very serious accusation that should not go unnoticed by any side in Syria, nor by the international community.

The AI report came out after a similar finding by the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria last year, which is supported by the shocking AI disclosure.

There is no doubt that the AI and the UN investigations were conducted as thoroughly as possible, but the seriousness of these accusations and their implications might require further corroboration before a final judgement can be rendered on the perpetrators.

Damascus cannot just deny all the accusations. The sheer number of deaths makes it ludicrous to do so.

The regime must be required to allow for additional investigation into the conditions of prisons in Syria — where, according to a previous report by AI, 17,000 people died across the country, in addition to the figure at Saydnaya — and allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and other reputable international agencies immediate access.

ICRC is the most trusted and credible independent international organisation authorised to carry out the necessary investigation into accusations of crimes against humanity or war crimes.

The charge that Damascus carries out summary executions and systematic torture in its jails cannot be dismissed lightly.

Syria’s membership in the UN hinges on the extent to which it is ready and able to meet its obligations under the UN Charter and various other international human rights conventions.

Damascus must be made to cooperate with ICRC, AI and other international bodies that should verify accusations of crimes against humanity, and those found guilty must receive the punishment deserved.