TORONTO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th March, 2021) Canada and the Netherlands are warning Syria with legal action under the UN Convention Against Torture unless the government of President Bashar Assad cooperates during negotiations on the matter, Canada's Foreign Minister Marc Garneau said.
The Netherlands deemed the Syrian government liable for human rights violations under the UN charter on September 18, 2020 and Canada followed suit on March 3.
"We are committed to making a genuine attempt to resolve our dispute with Syria through negotiations. However, should this not result in a timely resolution of the dispute, we will explore the possibility of joint legal action under the Convention against Torture," Garneau said in a statement on Friday.
The Syrian Civil War has been ongoing since 2011, with government forces fighting against a multitude of insurgent groups.
Damascus has been accused by Western governments of numerous atrocities, including the use of chemical weapons against civilian populations� without offering tangible proof. The Syrian side has vehemently denied the allegations and pointed to independent journalistic investigations, which suggest widespread state-sponsored subversive activity against the nation.
