The head of a UN investigative body for Syria has said that enough evidence exists to convict individuals of crimes in Syria, but there is an urgent need to secure and preserve the evidence.
In an exclusive interview with The National, Robert Petit, who heads the UN's International Impartial and Independent Mechanism, underscored the importance of safeguarding records from former president Bashar Al Assad’s prisons, which document the fate of thousands of disappeared people and identify perpetrators of the regime's crimes.
These records, Mr Petit noted, are vital for ensuring accountability and advancing future justice efforts.
“We know for a fact that evidence is getting lost and will continue to be at least at risk if measures are not taken,” he said. “Time is of the essence”.
Mr Petit, who recently visited Syria and met representatives of the caretaker authorities in the political bureau of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, is still waiting for permission from the interim authorities to “discharge“ the IIIM’s mandate To secure the evidence.
“That's what we're mandated to do. That's what we know how to do,” he said. “But for that, we need permission from the caretaker authorities to be able to come back [to Syria] and do that sort of work. So, we're waiting.”
Since its establishment in 2016, the IIIM has documented the most serious crimes under international law committed in Syria since March 2011, despite being barred from entering the country until now. Its aim is to make them available for court proceedings.
“We did make that request on the 21st [of December] and subsequently also on the 14th of January and we're still unfortunately waiting for an answer,” he said. “I have no reason to believe that this is anything more than a matter of process rather than substance, but the process is taking, unfortunately, quite a bit of time.”
The ousting of Mr Al Assad in December unleashed waves of jubilation across Syria, with citizens celebrating the collapse of a regime long marred by accusations of tyranny and oppression.
Outside Sednaya Prison, a notorious symbol of Mr Al Assad’s brutal legacy, hundreds of anxious people gathered, each searching for clues about the fate of detained loved ones, hoping the regime’s fall might finally bring answers.
Former detainees shared chilling accounts of the suffering they endured within its walls, their stories painting a stark picture of the widespread atrocities committed under Mr Al Assad’s rule.
The regime’s downfall marked a critical turning point for the IIIM. Mr Petit characterised his visit to Syria following Mr Al Assad’s ousting as a profound moment, coinciding with the eighth anniversary of the mechanism's inception.
“You could see people, you know, in front of you coming together after having not seen each other for 15 years ... it was a special moment,” he said.
During his visit to Damascus, Mr Petit and his team were granted access to significant sites. He saw the archives of the military court and the original Caesar files – photographs taken between May 2011 and August 2013 by the Syrian military police defector known as “Caesar” – that provide unique proof of the Syrian government’s machinery of torture and killing.
When asked how Mr Al Assad, who has been granted asylum in Russia, can be held accountable, Mr Petit said: “There's precedent for high-level individuals who had asylum, to have lost that protection and eventually be held accountable.”
During a meeting with a Russian delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov in Damascus last month, Syria’s ruler Ahmad Al Shara demanded that the Kremlin hand over Mr Al Assad and an estimated $2 billion in liquid assets held by the exiled dictator's family in Russian banks, sources told The National.
“There are possibilities for accountability in the future, much of which will depend on the path Syrians choose for transitional justice,” Mr Petit explained. “I don't think it's my place to and it's nobody's place to dictate to Syrians what should take place. They should decide themselves.”
If you go...
Etihad flies daily from Abu Dhabi to Zurich, with fares starting from Dh2,807 return. Frequent high speed trains between Zurich and Vienna make stops at St. Anton.
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl
Power: 153hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: Dh99,000
On sale: now
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
If you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Chicago from Dh5,215 return including taxes.
The hotels
Recommended hotels include the Intercontinental Chicago Magnificent Mile, located in an iconic skyscraper complete with a 1929 Olympic-size swimming pool from US$299 (Dh1,100) per night including taxes, and the Omni Chicago Hotel, an excellent value downtown address with elegant art deco furnishings and an excellent in-house restaurant. Rooms from US$239 (Dh877) per night including taxes.
Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
