The president of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, has approved a general amnesty for crimes committed before November 16, although with exceptions such as blood crimes, escapes or weapons smuggling. The decree provides for the reduction of some sentences.
Those sentenced to death who can benefit from this measure of grace will begin to serve a life sentence and those who had a pending life sentence will see their sentence reduced by 20 years.
The decree, published by the state news agency SANA, says that sentences will be completely lifted for some convicts, including those who have committed minor crimes, those suffering from incurable diseases and those over 70 years of age.
Assad has granted several amnesties in recent years. In early September, he issued a decree abolishing the notorious “military field courts” that human rights groups accuse of handing down death sentences without due process to prisoners.
On the other hand, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has demanded that Syria “take all measures at its disposal to prevent” torture and inhuman treatment of its opponents, in a case initiated in The Hague by Canada and the Netherlands. who reported forced disappearances, sexual violence and the use of chemical weapons since 2011 in the Arab country.
The highest UN court indicated “provisional measures” that the Syrian regime is legally obliged to apply as a signatory to the Convention against Torture, although Damascus left empty the seats that correspond to its legal team in this Court, publicly rejected the accusations, and showed no interest in defending himself or recognizing this process.
In the first ruling of international justice since cases of torture during the Syrian conflict began to be reported in 2011, the ICJ also urged the government of Bashar al-Assad to take measures to protect all evidence of cases of torture and inhuman treatment. and degrading behavior denounced by activists and members of the Syrian opposition for more than a decade.
This ruling comes a day after French justice issued arrest warrants against Bashar Al Assad, his brother Maher and two generals, Ghassan Abbas and Bassam al Hassan, for the alleged use of chemical weapons against civilians in August 2013 in the city of Duma, where more than a thousand people died.