France To Try Syria's War Criminals

Syrian defendant Anwar Raslan (2nd R), 57, accused of crimes against humanity, in the first trial of its kind to emerge from the Syrian conflict, arrives at court, in Koblenz, Germany June 4, 2020. Thomas Lohnes/Pool via REUTERS
Syrian defendant Anwar Raslan (2nd R), 57, accused of crimes against humanity, in the first trial of its kind to emerge from the Syrian conflict, arrives at court, in Koblenz, Germany June 4, 2020. Thomas Lohnes/Pool via REUTERS
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France To Try Syria's War Criminals

Syrian defendant Anwar Raslan (2nd R), 57, accused of crimes against humanity, in the first trial of its kind to emerge from the Syrian conflict, arrives at court, in Koblenz, Germany June 4, 2020. Thomas Lohnes/Pool via REUTERS
Syrian defendant Anwar Raslan (2nd R), 57, accused of crimes against humanity, in the first trial of its kind to emerge from the Syrian conflict, arrives at court, in Koblenz, Germany June 4, 2020. Thomas Lohnes/Pool via REUTERS

France has made an important step in the fight against impunity for the perpetrators of international crimes committed in Syria and throughout the world.

The National Assembly passed a bill to authorize the approval of the international judicial cooperation agreement between the French Government and the United Nations Organization, represented by the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) for Syria. The bill was referred to the Senate for examination.

Parliamentary sources ruled out any difficulty in obtaining the approval of the Senate in the next few days, noting that the French Constitution stipulated that in case of disagreement, the last say would go to the National Assembly.

The French Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Justice issued a joint statement, which noted that the agreement “will allow information to be transmitted from French courts to the Mechanism (MIII), which is not possible under current law.”

“It is thus in keeping with the priority France attaches to the fight against impunity for the perpetrators of international crimes,” it stated.

The statement read: “In 2015, the Foreign Ministry reported to the Paris State Prosecutor, on the basis of Article 40 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, atrocities likely to have been committed by the Syrian regime... The documents passed on enabled the Paris Prosecutor’s Office to open a preliminary investigation into “crimes against humanity”, relying in particular on photographs taken in military hospitals between 2011 and 2013 by “César”, a Syrian former military photographer. More than 40 investigations and judicial inquiries on Syria are currently underway in France.”

It added: “In a ruling of 24 November 2021, the Court of Cassation deemed it necessary for the definition of an offense comparable to that in French law (evidence of “an attack against a civilian population in fulfillment of a concerted plan”) to exist in Syrian law in order to recognize French courts’ extraterritorial competence with regard to international crimes.”

The statement noted that the relevant French ministries would closely monitor forthcoming judicial decisions.

“Depending on those decisions, our ministries stand ready to swiftly set out the changes, including legislative changes that should be made to enable France to continue resolutely fulfilling its steadfast commitment against impunity for international crimes,” it underlined.



Dozens Die of Mysterious Illness in Besieged Sudan Town

FILE PHOTO: Sudanese people, displaced from Jezira state due to RSF violence, sit under a tree in New Halfa, Kassala state, Sudan, November 3, 2024. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Sudanese people, displaced from Jezira state due to RSF violence, sit under a tree in New Halfa, Kassala state, Sudan, November 3, 2024. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig/File Photo
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Dozens Die of Mysterious Illness in Besieged Sudan Town

FILE PHOTO: Sudanese people, displaced from Jezira state due to RSF violence, sit under a tree in New Halfa, Kassala state, Sudan, November 3, 2024. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Sudanese people, displaced from Jezira state due to RSF violence, sit under a tree in New Halfa, Kassala state, Sudan, November 3, 2024. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig/File Photo

At least 73 people have died of mysterious causes in the Sudanese town of al-Hilaliya, besieged by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, the Sudanese Doctors Union said late on Wednesday.
It is one of dozens of villages that have come under attack in eastern El Jezira state since the defection of a top RSF commander to the army, which prompted revenge attacks that have displaced more than 135,000 people.
The war between the two forces has created the world's largest humanitarian crisis, displacing more than 11 million and plunging more into hunger while drawing in foreign powers and prompting fears of state collapse, Reuters said.
While high death tolls in other parts of Jezira came as a result of RSF shelling and gunfire, in Hilaliya people have fallen ill with diarrhea, overwhelming a local hospital according to the union and three people from the area.
A network blackout enforced by the RSF has made it difficult to determine the exact cause.
One man who spoke to Reuters said three of his family members had died of the same illness, but he only found out days later when others escaped to an area with internet access.
Those who wish to leave must pay high sums at RSF checkpoints, said another man.
According to pro-democracy activists, the siege began on Oct. 29 when the RSF raided the town, killing five and surrounding residents inside three mosques.
Hilaliya is home to the family of defected commander Abuagla Keikal, which locals say may explain the siege of a previously stable trade hub that had housed 50,000 people, including many displaced from other areas.
The town's markets and warehouses were looted, witnesses said.
Satellite imagery from a Yale Humanitarian Lab report showed rapid increase in cemeteries in several Jezira towns since the latest revenge attacks began in late October. It also showed evidence of the burning of agricultural fields in the village of Azrag.