The following quote is attributable to Houssam al-Nahhas, MD, MPH, health and human rights researcher for Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) and a Syrian physician:
“The new Syrian government’s establishment of a National Transitional Justice Commission and a National Commission for the Missing represents key steps forward for survivors and families of the victims of Syria’s catastrophic war. After nearly 14-years of war-time atrocities and decades of brutal rule by the Assad family, all Syrians deserve justice, accountability, and healing.
“While these mechanisms are welcome progress after decades of impunity for grave human rights violations in Syria, the National Transitional Justice Commission risks excluding justice for many victims by limiting its scope to violations committed by the Assad regime. Overlooking violations perpetrated by other parties to the conflict impedes access to remedies for victims and pathways to non-recurrence, undermining the very principles of transitional justice. Genuine justice must be inclusive – it must serve all survivors, end impunity for all perpetrators, and ensure equitable access to accountability mechanisms for all Syrians, regardless of the identity of the violator.
“Since the beginning of the war in Syria, PHR documented 608 attacks on health care facilities and the killing of 949 health professionals, with approximately 90 percent of these attacks attributed to the Assad government and its allies, including Russia. The former Syrian government systematically targeted hospitals, doctors, and other health care infrastructure as a war strategy, sowing death and devastation. Yet 10 percent of these destructive attacks on health care in Syria were perpetrated by other actors in the conflict, further reinforcing the need for an impartial and comprehensive approach to justice.
“Syrian and international human rights organizations, including PHR, have been documenting violations by all parties since the onset of the conflict. Our message remains unequivocal: All victims and survivors of human rights abuses in Syria must have access to truth and justice, restoration of dignity, reform of systems of oppression, and guarantees of non-recurrence.
“Justice is neither credible nor complete unless it addresses the human rights violations perpetrated by all actors involved.”
Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) is a New York-based advocacy organization that uses science and medicine to prevent mass atrocities and severe human rights violations. Learn more here.