Item 4: Interactive Dialogue on the oral update with the Commission of Inquiry on Syria 

Organisation: Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) 

Speaker: Mr Jonathan Downing  

Thank you, Mr President, 

CSW thanks the Commission of Inquiry for its update and continued work. 

We remain highly concerned by reports of torture in Syrian detention centres, and the continued incarceration of thousands of political prisoners. 

We call on the government of Syria to ensure that the human rights of prisoners are respected in accordance with the Nelson Mandela Rules, and to release all political prisoners immediately and without condition. 

We also call on Syria to respect the Convention Against Torture to which it is party. 

Nearly a decade has passed since the Islamic State seized control of large swathes of Syria, and while the group has now lost the territory it once held, Syria remains a war zone. 

There is an urgent need for a credible and effective ceasefire that protects civilians, combats enforced disappearances and arbitrary detentions, and includes components of truth, reconciliation and transitional justice. 

We urge the Syrian government to engage meaningfully with the Commission of Inquiry to achieve a sustainable political solution based on an inclusive Syrian identity, rule of law, human rights and accountability. 

We also continue to call on the Turkish authorities to restrain the armed groups loyal to them in areas under their control, to respect human rights, including freedom of religion or belief and women’s rights, and to end all forms of discrimination against women and religious minorities. 

Thank you.