The center of the Syrian capital Damascus. A year of change in Syria: hopes for peace and justice amid a challenging security situation Human rights
In a few days, Syria will mark one year since the fall of the Assad regime. Interim authorities have taken encouraging steps to investigate crimes committed in the past, but these actions are only a small part of what needs to be done, human rights activists are convinced.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said in a statement on Friday that Syria’s transitional government has created commissions to deal with justice issues and clarify the fate of missing persons. However, there continue to be alarming reports of extrajudicial killings, killings and abductions, mainly targeting members of certain communities and those accused of links to the former government.
Hundreds of people have been killed since the fall of the Assad regime. These killings were carried out by the security forces of the provisional authorities, their associated groups and armed individuals who could not be identified. People are also killed by mines and other munitions.
Reports of violations and abuses include evidence of sexual violence, arbitrary detention, looting, home destruction, forced evictions and confiscations, and restrictions on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
The violence primarily affected ethnic and religious communities, including Alawites, Druze, Christians and Bedouins. It was fueled by hate propaganda, both online and on the streets of Syrian cities, OHCHR said in a statement.
The past year has also been marked by Israeli military operations in Syria, including shelling, ground incursions and occupation of territories. There were reports of civilian casualties, abductions and house searches.
The integration of armed groups into the new Syrian government’s security forces was rushed, without adequate human rights scrutiny, OHCHR said in a statement. According to the UN human rights agency, such a review and reform of the security sector as a whole is essential to prevent further violations, and to ensure that those responsible for committing serious violations of international law are not integrated into the newly formed security forces. “Accountability, justice, peace and security for all Syrians are fundamental prerequisites for a successful political transition,” the statement said. – The right of victims to effective remedies and reparation must be fully ensured.