America's Campaign Against Putin's War Crimes Can't Ignore Syria

TAREK KTELEH

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During a surprise trip to Ukraine in June, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the creation of a new War Crimes Accountability Team that will assist Ukrainian officials in identifying and apprehending Russian war criminals.

"We will pursue every avenue available," Garland said, "to make sure that those who are responsible for these atrocities are held accountable."

It's a welcome initiative—but in its bid to hold Russian war criminals accountable, the Department of Justice shouldn't limit its efforts to Ukraine's borders. In my home country of Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin's intervention to prop up murderous dictator Bashar al-Assad has enabled the regime to torture and slaughter tens of thousands of political prisoners. Holding those torturers and executioners accountable isn't merely the morally right thing to do—it's also part and parcel of the struggle against Putin's assault on the rules-based international order.

According to the United Nations, more than 350,000 civilians have been killed in Syria since the war began in 2011, while an estimated 6.8 million refugees have fled the country and another 6.7 million people are displaced inside Syria.

But casualties and refugees are just one part of the story. Every day the Assad regime commits unspeakable crimes against civilians, especially in Syria's prisons. In the country's Saydnaya prison—often dubbed "the slaughterhouse"—as many as 50 prisoners are taken from their cells in the middle of the night each week, severely beaten in a dark basement, and unceremoniously hanged, according to reports from Amnesty International. Torture and the deliberate withholding of food, water, and medical care are routine in these living hells.

One former prisoner, Omar Alshogre, described having his fingernails pulled off in a Syrian prison at just 15 years of age. He was ultimately released, only to be arrested again at the age of 17, along with his three cousins. While in prison, all four were hung from the ceiling, electrocuted, and forced to beat each other. Two of Alshogre's cousins ultimately died, and the third he simply assumed was dead, without knowing for sure.

In many cases, these prisoners did nothing but demand democracy from their government or show sympathy toward the Syrian opposition—the segment of the population that has been fighting to overthrow Assad's oppressive regime since 2011. But many in Syria are snatched from their homes for no reason at all. Prisoners' families have no way of communicating with their loved ones, or even knowing whether they are alive or dead.

This kind of brutality is an everyday occurrence in Assad's Syria. By one estimate, more than 130,000 people have been the victims of arbitrary arrest and "enforced disappearance" at the hands of the state. Syrian refugees are often harassed by the Assad regime, and many are under constant threat of being sent back for purely bureaucratic reasons.

Syrians wave flag of Russia and a portrait of President Bashar al-Assad during a rally in support of Russia in the Syrian capital Damascus, on March 25, 2022.LOUAI BESHARA/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

Sadly, American officials have been largely silent about Assad's crimes. At the very least, the United States should offer a resolution before the U.N. demanding that Assad open his prisons to humanitarian aid organizations, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross. It's also crucial that U.S. allies in the Middle East not normalize relations with Syria while the Assad regime continues its crimes against humanity.

In addition, U.S. officials must push for full enforcement of the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act—legislation I helped shepherd into law along with other activists back in 2019—which imposes penalties on anyone who assists the Assad regime financially.

Concerted efforts must also be made to help circumvent Syria's passport bureaucracy. The Assad regime generates millions of dollars in revenue by extorting Syrians, including refugees in other countries, during the application and renewal processes. People are even arrested and kidnapped at Syrian consulates and embassies in neighboring countries when they go to renew their passports.

To protect those individuals, the United States should encourage the United Nations to issue Syrian asylum-seekers the "blue passports" normally reserved for members of international organizations like the World Bank.

The United States should also urge Syria's neighboring countries, and other allies, to recognize passports issued or renewed by the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces—which was recognized by the U.S. government as the "legitimate representative" of the Syrian people in 2012.

America's forceful response to Putin's atrocities in Ukraine is commendable. But Assad's war crimes—often aided and abetted by Putin—have been a daily occurrence in Syria for over a decade. It's time for the United States to stop ignoring Assad's brutality, and stand up for the millions of Syrians who continue to suffer at the hands of a murderous dictator.