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full screen UN human rights chief Volker Türk in Damascus, Syria. Photo: Omar Sanadiki/AP/TT
UN human rights chief Volker Türk demands that the overthrown Assad regime be held accountable for its crimes.
But he emphasizes the importance of the principles of the rule of law when a transitional government now exercises power in Syria.
Türk made the UN demands during a visit to Damascus on Wednesday, which was also the first visit by a UN human rights chief to the country.
The United Nations has underlined the importance of holding ousted President Bashar al-Assad and his aides accountable for human rights violations committed during the more than 13-year civil war in the country.
– Justice during a transition period is directly decisive when Syria faces the future, Türk said at a press conference in Damascus.
– Revenge and retribution have never been the answer.
The Assad regime is accused of a long series of crimes committed both during the civil war and during the long period it was in power. A large number of people have been detained, tortured and murdered in the regime’s prisons. Syria’s military is also accused of using banned chemical warfare agents during the civil war.
– Such actions constitute the most serious crimes that can be committed under international law, said UN human rights chief Türk.