Justice remains a remote possibility for the victims of the chemical weapons attacks on Ghouta, near Damascus, last year, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said today. Hundreds of people were killed in the attacks.
Despite the fact that this was the most significant use of chemical agents since the Iraqi government under Saddam Hussein attacked Kurds in 1988, no one has been held to account. According to HRW, available evidence suggests strongly that Syrian forces carried out the attacks, contradicting their self-proclaimed innocence. Under considerable international pressure, Syria finally agreed to abide by international conventions and get rid of its stockpile of chemical weapons.
“Important though it is, the removal of chemical weapons from Syria’s arsenal will do nothing for the hundreds of victims who died a year ago and the relatives who survive them,” said Nadim Houry, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at HRW. “Closure of the chemical weapons issue in Syria will be possible only when those who ordered and executed the Ghouta attacks have been held to account and are behind bars.”
The UN Security Council adopted a resolution unanimously on 27 September last year, requiring Syria to dispose of its chemical weapons and allow access to weapons inspectors. On June 23, the Joint Mission of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the UN charged with removing Syria’s chemical weapons material announced that their task was complete.
However, international efforts to ensure credible justice for these and other ongoing grave human rights crimes in Syria have proved fruitless. On May 22, Russia and China blocked a UN Security Council resolution that would have referred the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Over 100 non-governmental organisations urged the council to approve the resolution, more than 60 countries co-sponsored it and 13 of the Council’s 15 members voted in favour.
Broad support for the resolution from governments and NGOs alike reflects the widespread international determination to achieve justice for serious crimes in Syria. According to HRW, those governments that supported the effort should remain committed to seeking justice for victims in Syria, whether in the Security Council, the UN General Assembly, the Human Rights Council, or other avenues, including the use of universal jurisdiction to prosecute suspects.