Human Rights Watch (HRW) has announced that Syria has not complied with an International Court of Justice (ICJ) order issued in 2023. The order required Syria to “take all measures within its power to prevent acts of torture.” Despite this directive, HRW reports continued abuse in Syria’s detention centers known for their practices of torture. According to Balkees Jarrah, associate director for international justice at HRW, Syrian authorities are still sending individuals to facilities notorious for such violations.
The legal action prompting the ICJ’s provisional measures was initiated by Canada and the Netherlands. The case accuses Syria of severe breaches under the Convention Against Torture. The ICJ’s order specified that Syria should cease arbitrary and incommunicado detention, allow independent monitors access to its facilities, and ensure that detainees are treated with dignity. It also included mandates to prevent the destruction of evidence concerning acts of torture and to communicate relevant information about detainees to their families.
HRW notes Syria’s failure to implement these crucial directives, highlighting the persistence of horrific conditions and systemic abuse within detention facilities. As noted by Amnesty International, torture remains widespread in Syria, with methods including severe beatings and electric shocks. The dissolution of Military Field Courts has raised concerns among rights groups about potential destruction of evidence regarding systemic torture. Syria, however, has consistently denied these allegations, framing its actions as measures against terrorism.
The alleged abuses in Syrian detention centers have drawn comparisons to crimes against humanity. European courts have leveraged the principle of universal jurisdiction to prosecute individuals accused of similar crimes, as demonstrated by a case in Germany concerning state torture in Syria. Despite denials from the Syrian government, international law remains unequivocal in its prohibition of torture.
For further details, the original HRW statement can be accessed through Human Rights Watch’s report.