Speaking from Damascus after meeting the leader of the caretaker authorities, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, Mr. Türk said that he had been “assured…of the importance of respect for human rights for all Syrians and all different components of Syrian society”.
Syria’s de facto leader – who spearheaded the lightning overthrow of Bashar Al Assad on 8 December at the head of opposition fighters Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS) – also underscored “the pursuit of healing, trust building and social cohesion, and the reform of institutions”, the High Commissioner said.
Staggering needs
“But the challenges are immense,” he continued, pointing to the “hundreds of thousands of lives” lost, the fact that much of the country lies in ruins”.
Today, nine in 10 Syrians are “mired in poverty, the health system is on its knees and many schools are closed,” Mr. Türk said. “Millions are still displaced both inside and outside the country. The rights to food, health, education and housing are fundamental human rights, and there must be prompt, collective and concerted efforts to guarantee them.”
Calling for “an urgent reconsideration” of ongoing sanctions on Syria “with a view to lifting them”, the UN rights chief said that considering their impact on the lives of the Syrian people was key.
Sednaya horrors
Mr. Türk – whose visit to Syria is a first for any UN High Commissioner for Human Rights – said that he had heard harrowing testimony from numerous victims of torture.
They included some jailed at the notorious Sednaya prison outside Damascus, where his Office documented violations “for years”.
The UN rights chief described prisoners telling him that “early in the morning, as they heard the guards at their door, trembling in fear, they retreated to the rear of the cell, fearing they would be hauled out again to be tortured, or even executed.”
Thousands died in prisons throughout Syria, the High Commissioner explained, as he went on to condemn the “apocalyptic wasteland” of the bombed-out residential neighbourhood of Jobar, in Damascus, which he visited.
Mass killing, destruction
“Not a single building in the area was spared bombardment in wave after wave of attacks,” Mr. Türk said, adding that it was “inconceivable that such mass killings and destruction” had happened.
It was equally difficult to believe “that banned chemical weapons were used against civilians elsewhere in the country and not just once”, the UN rights chief said – a likely reference to several deadly chlorine gas attacks, including on two residential buldings in Douma in northeast Damascus by the Syrian air force on 7 April 2018.
It “says a lot about the extreme brutality of the tactics used by the former regime”, whose acts “constitute some of the most serious crimes under international humanitarian law.”
‘Real threats’ to Syria remain
Away from the immediate destruction and grief of war, the High Commissioner highlighted that the people of Syria “need every ounce of help they can get to rebuild a country that works for all Syrians”.
The UN human rights office, OHCHR – which has had a dedicated Syria monitoring team since 2013 – “will continue to support inclusive, nationally owned and driven processes”, Mr. Türk said.
He warned of “very real threats” to Syria’s territorial integrity and independence. The country’s sovereignty “must be fully respected and rigorously upheld. The ongoing conflicts and hostilities must end,” the High Commissioner insisted, adding: “This is really a seminal moment for Syria after decades of repression.
“My most fervent hope is for all Syrians to be able to thrive together, regardless of gender, religion or ethnicity and to build a common future.”