UN body hopes to gather evidence on former government from Syria
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A UN investigative body is seeking to send a team to gather evidence from Syria in the hopes of implicating officials from the former government.
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Members from the Syrian Arab Army line up to register with Syrian new regime forces as part of an "identification and reconciliation process" at an army compound in Latakia, Syria, on Tuesday, December 17, 2024. (AP)
The head of a United Nations investigative body has reached out to Syria's new authorities, expressing readiness to engage with them and travel to the country to secure evidence potentially implicating top officials of the former government.
The new regime forces, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) ousted President Bashar al-Assad earlier this month, taking over prisons and government offices, and pushing for accountability for crimes committed during the 13-year war in Syria.
Robert Petit, head of the International, Impartial, and Independent Mechanism (IIIM), emphasized the importance of immediate action. "Our first priority would be to go and try and scope the extent of the issue, see exactly what is available in terms of access and potential evidence, and then see how we could best assist in preserving that," Petit stated during a press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.
The UN body, established in 2016, aims to investigate and facilitate the prosecution of serious crimes committed in Syria since 2011. It says it has already amassed 283 terabytes of data and is collaborating with national prosecutors from countries such as Belgium, France, and the United States on ongoing investigations on Syria.
Petit noted the potential for significant progress in uncovering evidence. "There is now the possibility of accessing evidence of the highest level of [the] regime," he said while acknowledging some evidence had been lost during the transition period.
Despite these challenges, he expressed optimism, citing the efforts of Syria's transitional authorities and civil society groups. "We have noted with hope a state of awareness from the transitional authorities and from Syrian civil society actors of the need to preserve evidence," Petit remarked.
UN envoy meeting with regime
The United Nations Special Envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, held discussions with Ahmad al-Sharaa (Abu Mohammad al-Jolani), the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, and Mohammad al-Bashir, the head of the caretaker government, in the Syrian capital on Sunday.
In a statement, the Office of the UN Special Envoy to Syria announced, "The Special Envoy, Mr. Geir Pedersen, is in Damascus. He has so far met with Mr. Ahmad al-Sharaa, leader of the new administration, and Mr. Mohammad al-Bashir, head of the caretaker government."
During the meetings, Pedersen emphasized "the need for an inclusive and credible political transition, led and owned by Syrians, based on the principles of UN Security Council Resolution 2254 (2015)." He reaffirmed the UN's commitment to providing all possible assistance to the Syrian people and was briefed on the challenges and priorities facing the country.
The statement also noted that Pedersen is scheduled to hold further discussions in the coming days.
Meanwhile, Syrian media reported that Ahmad al-Sharaa stressed the necessity of revisiting Resolution 2254, citing shifts in the political landscape that demand an updated framework to reflect the current realities.
