Canada and the Netherlands are taking Syria to the International Court of Justice over allegations of torture, the court said on Monday, marking the first such case against Damascus over the country's 12-year-long civil war.
The two countries filed a case against Syria on Thursday “concerning alleged violations of the [UN's] Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment,” the ICJ said in a press release.
Damascus has committed “countless violations of international law” since the civil war began, the court quoted them as saying, beginning with the “violent repression” of civilian protesters.
Canada and the Netherlands decided to act in 2020 after Russia blocked multiple efforts in the United Nations Security Council to refer a case on human rights violations in Syria to the International Criminal Court, which prosecutes individuals for war crimes and is also based in The Hague.
If the ICJ is found to have jurisdiction, it would be the first international court to rule on the alleged use of torture during Syria's brutal civil war.
In their application, Canada and the Netherlands claim that “Syria has committed countless violations of International law, beginning at least in 2011,” and they ask for emergency measures to be taken to protect those at risk of being tortured, the ICJ said in a statement.
It detailed allegations of torture, enforced disappearances and sexual violence, among other crimes, including the use of chemical weapons “which has been a particularly abhorrent practice to intimidate and punish the civilian population.”
Damascus ratified the UN's Convention Against Torture in 2004.
The government of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad has been accused of torturing and killing thousands of civilians during the lengthy civil war, which erupted after the government's repression of mass street protests in 2011.
Syrian officials have been found guilty of torture in Germany.
In January, a former Syrian intelligence officer was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of crimes against humanity by a German court.
The trial of Anwar Raslan was the first to prosecute over Syrian state-sponsored abuse.
He was found guilty of overseeing the murder of 27 people and the torture of 4,000 others at the Al Khatib detention centre in Damascus between April 2011 and September 2012. More than 80 people testified in the trial.
In April, a Syrian-American filed a civil lawsuit against Damascus in a US court for allegedly detaining and torturing him.
Obada Mzaik said he filed the case “in the name of all the many Syrians who were tortured in detention centres but who don’t have the opportunity to obtain justice.”
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A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
The biog
First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work
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Day 1
Toss England, chose to bat
England, 1st innings 357-5 (87 overs): Root 184 not out, Moeen 61 not out, Stokes 56; Philander 3-46
Awar Qalb
Director: Jamal Salem
Starring: Abdulla Zaid, Joma Ali, Neven Madi and Khadija Sleiman
Two stars
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Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid
Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona
Monster
Directed by: Anthony Mandler
Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr., John David Washington
3/5
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Favourite holiday destination: Thailand. I go every year and I’m obsessed with the fitness camps there.
Favourite book: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It’s an amazing story about barefoot running.
Favourite film: A League of their Own. I used to love watching it in my granny’s house when I was seven.
Personal motto: Believe it and you can achieve it.
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Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
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Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
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Mubadala World Tennis Championship 2018 schedule
Thursday December 27
Men's quarter-finals
Kevin Anderson v Hyeon Chung 4pm
Dominic Thiem v Karen Khachanov 6pm
Women's exhibition
Serena Williams v Venus Williams 8pm
Friday December 28
5th place play-off 3pm
Men's semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Anderson/Chung 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Thiem/Khachanov 7pm
Saturday December 29
3rd place play-off 5pm
Men's final 7pm
