Item 4: Interactive Dialogue with the Commission of Inquiry on the situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic

Organisation: Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW)

Speaker: Claire Denman

Thank you, Mr President.

CSW welcomes once again the work of the Commission of Inquiry (COI) on the Syrian Arab Republic and encourages member states to continue their support of its mandate.

We share the COI’s concerns regarding the devastating economic and humanitarian crisis endured by Syrian citizens, including the recent escalation in violence characterised by bombings, abductions and killings of civilians outside of conflict zones.

We echo its calls for a halt to indiscriminate direct attacks on civilians and civilian objects and for independent investigations and accountability processes.

Islamist militias regularly violate the rights of local people, and particularly Yazidis and other religious minorities, in Turkish-held Afrin. Violations include rape, assassination, kidnapping for ransom, confiscation of property and desecration of cemeteries and places of worship. 

We urge Turkey to restrain the Islamist groups responsible for these violations, and to ensure the sanctity of religious and cultural locations and objects is respected.

Syrian government forces and other parties to the conflict continue to conceal the fate and whereabouts of detainees.

We call for the release of all political prisoners and endorse the COI’s call for feasible measures in line with Security Council resolution 2474 (2019), to locate those detained and/or disappeared, establish their fate and ensure communication with their families. The targeting of civilians, torture, and arbitrary arrests must cease.

Finally, we urge all parties to the conflict to cooperate with the COI and other UN mechanisms to secure a political solution based on an inclusive Syrian identity, rule of law, human rights and accountability.  

Thank you.