#GlobalJustice Weekly – Syria: Civilians suffer as peace deal moves forward

Syrians left in despair

With a new Syrian peace deal on the table to end over five years of civil war that has killed some 400,000, the UN last week warned of a sharp increase in violence targeting civilians in the country.

In its latest report, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria notes how recent indiscriminate attacks on civilians, blockades of humanitarian convoys and crimes committed by all parties to the conflict, have left Syrians in a state of despair.

“It is imperative that the key parties negotiate an end to this conflict, while bearing in mind that any peace agreement must necessarily provide justice for the victims,” said UN Commissioner Carla Del Ponte.

Earlier this month, Human Rights Watch called on the UN Security Council to urgently impose sanctions on the Syrian government for alleged chemical weapon attacks in Syria and refer the situation to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for investigation. A 2014 referral attempt was vetoed by Russia and China, and some speculate the possibility of a referral has become even more remote.

Meanwhile, foreign ministers last week gathered in London for a conference with the Syrian High Negotiations Committee, the chief opposition negotiating body. The Committee’s roadmap for post-conflict Syria calls for transitional justice mechanisms to ensure accountability for human rights violations, and proposes to “work to accede and ratify the Rome Statute of the ICC.”

Within hours of the truce agreed over the weekend, over 91 civilians were killed in airstrikes in the rebel-held cities of Idlib and Aleppo.

Grave crimes by government forces, rebels and terrorist groups have been well-documented since the outbreak of post-Arab Spring violence in Syria. Several states and civil society groups have been collecting evidence in anticipation of future prosecutions.

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