Top UN court orders Syria to stop torture programme that killed thousands

The International Court of Justice also ruled that the country must preserve and prevent the destruction of all evidence relating to torture

While there have been individual cases linked to Syria’s civil war, there has been frustration in the West at the lack of a wider plan for international justice

Reading Time:2 minutes

Demonstrators display pictures of people they say disappeared in Syria, outside the International Court of Justice in The Hague on Tuesday. Photo: AP

Published: 1:58am, 17 Nov 2023Updated: 10:22am, 17 Nov 2023

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.

Empty seats for the Syrian government legal delegation, which did not attend, are seen at preliminary hearings in The Hague in October. Photo: AP

“Today, the International Court of Justice recognised the urgency of the situation and the irreparable harm caused by Syria’s recurring use of torture and other ill-treatment against its people,” the governments of Canada and the Netherlands said in a joint statement.