Top UN court orders Syria to stop torture programme

THE HAGUE: The UN´s top court on Thursday ruled that Syria must stop its torture programme that investigators say killed tens of thousands, in the first international case over the brutal civil war that began in 2011.

The International Court of Justice said Syria must “take all measures within its power to prevent acts of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”. The court also ruled that Syria must “prevent the destruction and ensure the preservation of any evidence” relating to torture.

Canada and the Netherlands had called on the ICJ to “urgently” order a halt to torture in Syrian jails, arguing that “every day counts” for those still in detention. The ruling comes after France issued an international arrest warrant for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, accused of complicity in crimes against humanity over chemical attacks in 2013.

In October, judges at the ICJ in The Hague heard searing testimony from Syrian detainees describing gang rape, mutilation and punishment involving contorting people into a car tyre and beating them.

The court was asked to issue “provisional measures” to stop torture and arbitrary detention in Syria, open prisons to outside inspectors and provide information to families about the fate of their loved ones. Torture in Syria is “pervasive and entrenched... and continues today”, Canada and the Netherlands wrote in their submission to the ICJ.