HRW urges armed groups to ensure “humane treatment” of all Syrians after the fall of Al Assad

The NGO recalls that the non-state groups that have led the offensive “are also responsible for human rights violations”

Dec. 9 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) has celebrated the “unprecedented opportunity” that the fall of Bashar Al Assad’s regime represents for Syrians this Sunday, but has urged the coalition of armed groups that has led to the overthrow of the dictator after 24 years in the Presidency of Syria to “guarantee humane treatment for everyone.”

“Armed opposition groups must send a strong and unequivocal message to factions and combatants that unlawful attacks, including those directed against individuals for their alleged links to the previous government, will not be tolerated. They must commit to ensuring humane treatment of all people, including former government officials and soldiers, affiliated and loyal fighters,” said HRW Middle East director Lama Fakih.

In a brief statement, the NGO recalled that, although the Assad Government committed “countless atrocities, crimes against humanity and other abuses” during its more than twenty years at the head of the country, the non-state groups that have led the offensive of November 27 “are also responsible for human rights violations and war crimes.”

For this reason, the organization has urged the new actors involved in the country’s governance, “whoever they are”, to break “totally and decisively with the repression and impunity of the past” and, in its place, establish a system that “respects the Human Rights and dignity of all Syrians, regardless of their origin or political opinions.”

“They must act quickly to preserve and protect evidence of the crimes and abuses committed by the previous government, and ensure fair and impartial justice in the future,” Fakih said.

Human Rights Watch has celebrated that the fall of the regime constitutes an “unprecedented opportunity for Syrians to chart a new future based on justice, accountability and respect for human rights.” “For Syrians scattered around the world, the dream of accountability for years of crimes and brutality is closer to becoming a reality,” the organization concluded.