Top UN court orders to Syria to prevent torture, destruction of evidence

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague issued an order Thursday binding Syria to take all measures to prevent "acts of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment."

In a statement, the ICJ said that Syria "shall...take all measures within its power to prevent acts of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and ensure that its officials as well as any organizations or persons which may be subject to its control, direction or influence do not commit any acts of torture or other acts of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment."

The ruling came after a request for provisional measures in a case brought by Canada and the Netherlands against Syria.

The two countries claimed that Syria has committed countless violations of international law beginning at least in 2011 with its violent repression of civilian demonstrations as the situation devolved into a protracted armed conflict.

"The Syrian Arab Republic shall take effective measures to prevent the destruction and ensure the preservation of any evidence related to allegations of acts within the scope of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment," said the ICJ.

The UN Syria Commission of Inquiry welcomed the "landmark order" by the top UN court.

"This is a landmark order by the world’s top court to stop torture, enforced disappearances and deaths in Syria’s detention facilities," UN Syria Commission Chair Paulo Pinheiro said in a statement.

"Such violations have been a hallmark of the Syrian conflict for 12 years – and were among its chief root causes," he added.