The Netherlands and Canada are taking Syria to the World Court over torture claims, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) said on Monday.
In their application, Canada and the Netherlands claim that "Syria has committed countless violations of International law, beginning at least in 2011," and asked for emergency measures to be taken to protect those at risk of being tortured, the ICJ, also known as the World Court, said in a statement.
"It is the Dutch government’s position that there is ample evidence demonstrating that Syria has committed serious human rights violations against Syrian citizens on a grand scale," the Dutch Foreign Ministry said in a statement. If it finds it has jurisdiction, the ICJ would be the first international court to be able to make a legal finding on the alleged state use of torture in Syria.
So far, there has been one conviction for the use of torture by a former Syrian state official in a landmark trial in Germany in January last year. The German case was filed under the country's universal jurisdiction laws, allowing its courts to prosecute crimes against humanity committed anywhere.
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