Brussels, 19/09/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 18 September, human rights activists in Syria called on the European Union to do more for Syria, particularly by pressing for those responsible for violating human rights to be held accountable.
“We are waiting for the EU and its member states to take a clear position on the obligation of ensuring accountability”, said Mustafa Haid, the director of the organisation Dawlati. Haid was backed by Farah Hwijeh from the organisation Syrian Women Platform for Peace. The lack of any such obligation “opens up the possibility for Assad and the other parties to commit further crimes - war crimes and crimes against humanity”, Haid said. He believes that measures should be taken, which go beyond a simple political statement - “Syria must be referred to the International Criminal Court to judge all the parties before it”. In Haid's view, this step is complex to apply but “this should not prevent us from making efforts for this to happen”. “Alternative measures are needed to make use of universal legal competence. The Syrians responsible who have the nationality of a member state must be brought to justice, and in this case, they must be brought before national legal authorities”, he added. Hwijeh went on to add that alternatives should also be considered, such as special courts.
The two activists also called for conditionality to be included in the EU's support of the Syrian opposition - conditionality linked to the respect of human rights. “Making respect for international human rights a condition for support allows a certain control to be had and allows participation in the protection of the civil population”, said Hwijeh, calling for funds to be cut if international humanitarian laws are not respected. Haid also wants the EU to send a European team to investigate possible violations of human rights and then to report.
Hwijeh called for greater EU support to civil society, through financial support and also through training and exchanging experience. In her view, the lack of support for associations in Syria “has opened up the horizons for extremist groups that replace the aid which these associations could have been able to use”. She also highlighted the dramatic humanitarian situation the Syrian refugees find themselves in, 75% of them being women and children - dropping out of school, sexual abuse and rape, selling young girls for marriage, lack of medical care and outbreaks of epidemics. Haid called on the countries of the EU to accept a greater number of Syrian asylum seekers (our translation throughout). (CG/transl.fl)