CAMEROON, Cameroon 鈥� The United States demanded Tuesday that the status of tens of thousands of civilians detained in Syria during the country鈥檚 10-year conflict be made public, and that the bodies of those who died be returned to their loved ones.
U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield made the demand at an informal high-level U.N. General Assembly meeting on human rights in Syria where she denounced the 鈥渂rutality鈥� and 鈥渦ntold suffering鈥� caused by Syrian President Bashar Assad鈥檚 regime and the 鈥渁ppalling atrocities鈥� it has committed.
鈥淭he Assad regime continues to imprison tens of thousands of innocent Syrians -- women and children, the elderly, doctors and providers, journalists, human rights defenders,鈥� she said. 鈥淎t least 14,000 Syrians have been reportedly tortured and tens of thousands forcibly disappeared.鈥�
Her demand for the status of detainees and return of bodies 鈥渨ith the time, place and cause of death鈥� follows Monday鈥檚 release of a new report by the U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Syria which said the Syrian government arbitrarily arrested and detained individuals and committed 鈥渨ar crimes and crimes against humanity in the context of detention.鈥� Other parties in the conflict also committed crimes by unlawfully and arbitrarily depriving individuals of their liberty, it said.
Since Syria鈥檚 conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests that led to a civil war, rival groups have been blamed for atrocities. They run jails where wide violations are reported against detainees.
The Syrian conflict has killed nearly half a million people, displaced half the country鈥檚 pre-war population of 23 million, including 5 million who are refugees abroad. Large parts of Syria are destroyed and tens of thousands still live in tent settlements.
Thomas-Greenfield said 鈥渢he United States stands with the Syrian people, Syrian civil society, and a wide group of international partners in demanding accountability and supporting a political solution鈥� set out in a Security Council resolution adopted in December 2015 which unanimously endorsed a road map to peace in Syria adopted in Geneva on June 30, 2012.
It was approved by representatives of the United Nations, Arab League, European Union, Turkey and all five permanent Security Council members 鈥� the U.S., Russia, China, France and Britain.
The roadmap calls for a Syrian-led political process starting with the establishment of a transitional governing body, followed by the drafting of a new constitution and ending with U.N.-supervised elections. In late January, U.N. special envoy Geir Pedersen expressed disappointment that five rounds of talks failed to lead to the start of drafting a new constitution, hinting that the Syrian government delegation was to blame for the lack of progress.
Germany鈥檚 U.N. Ambassador Christoph Heusgen said a political resolution must be in line with the 2015 resolution, 鈥渂ut this political solution can only be reached if Russia in particular puts pressure on the regime to agree to a real political solution.鈥�
He called vetoes by Russia and China of a U.N. resolution that would have kept more than one border crossing point for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Syria 鈥渋nhumane.鈥� And he said 鈥渋t remains very disappointing that Russia blocked the International Criminal Court鈥� from investigating possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Syria, stressing that accountability is key to reconciliation.
Russian Senior Counselor Stepan Kuzmenkov, whose country is Syria鈥檚 most important ally, dismissed the 鈥渦nverified accusations, lies and conjecture鈥� about the country鈥檚 human rights.
He said it was 鈥渁 pity鈥� that speakers didn鈥檛 talk about the real problems that Syria and its government have been dealing with -- fighting against 鈥渢errorist groups鈥� especially in northwest Idlib and 鈥渢he illegal occupation of its territory by the United States and the violation of its natural resources.鈥�
鈥淭oday鈥檚 meeting has nothing to do with international
Mazen Darwish, president of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression, called for a nationwide cease-fire and an urgent meeting under the aegis of U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of all countries concerned by the Syrian conflict to draw up a roadmap to implement the 2015 Security Council resolution 鈥渋n its entirety.鈥�
He told the assembly by video link there must also be an end to the death penalty, a list and inspection of all detention sites and detainees, and the release of all those arbitrarily detained, 鈥渇irst and foremost" women, children, the sick and elderly.
鈥淭here cannot be lasting peace in Syria without transitional justice,鈥� Darwish stressed.
鈥溍刵y attempt to achieve a political agreement which guarantees the interest of warlords, disregarding the grievances of victims that simply want justice will ultimately only lead to a new war for revenge,鈥� he warned.
Edith M. Lederer, The Associated Press
