[JURIST] The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria [official websites] expressed concern Tuesday about atrocities and abuses in Syria [press release] by both the Assad regime and anti-government armed groups, advocating for UN Security Council referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC) [official websites] or the establishment of a special tribunal to prosecute crimes against humanity being. In particular, they condemned the systematic targeting of civilians, restriction of access to humanitarian assistance, torture, the use of highly destructive weapons and sexual violence. Alleged perpetrators of war crimes may be referred to the ICC by the Security Council or the UN General Assembly [official website], which also has the power to establish an ad hoc tribunal [VOA report]. Commissioner Carla Del Ponte, former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) [official website], has stated that an ad hoc tribunal like the ICTY would better suit the needs of the Syrian people [Guardian report] by ensuring more criminals are prosecuted, and basing the tribunal near the region, facilitating access to witnesses and documentation. The UK will draft and present a resolution to the Human Rights Council [official website] next week to have the commission brief the General Assembly on its findings.

The Syrian conflict [BBC report] is entering its fifth year [JURIST report], and has already seen almost 200,000 Syrians lose their lives in a civil war based around the legitimacy of President Bashar al-Assad [BBC report]. The conflict in Syria has had devastating effects on the general population as a result of the extreme measures taken by both sides. In February of last year, human rights experts under the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights [official website] alleged [JURIST report] that both camps were committing crimes against humanity, denying civilians basic necessities of life and humanitarian aid. One month later, a panel of UN human rights experts presented a report [JURIST report] that depicted the Syrian rebel practice of “execution fields” where mass killings were committed through the use of barrel bomb attacks. In April the human rights chief stated that the Syrian government’s human rights abuses far outweighed [JURIST report] those of the rebels.