The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) revealed the criminal record of Interior Minister Mohammad al-Shaar, confirming that he faces legal responsibility for crimes against humanity that do not expire with time. The report indicated that the Ministry of Interior, under his leadership, committed nearly a quarter of a million violations, necessitating the inevitable accountability of him and all those involved in these crimes.
The report described General al-Shaar as one of the most prominent figures of the Assad regime and held him directly responsible for overseeing the systematic repression policies that have affected the Syrian people. According to the network's database, these policies included extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and systematic torture, in addition to complicity in unlawful executions and forced displacement.
The report indicated that the Ministry of Interior under al-Shaar played a pivotal role in implementing the decisions of exceptional courts, such as the Military Field Court and the Court for Terrorism Cases, which led to the confiscation of the property of thousands of dissidents, the issuance of travel bans, and the tampering with records of those forcibly disappeared. The Ministry was also implicated in suppressing prison riots with live ammunition, depriving detainees of their most basic rights, and obstructing forcibly displaced persons from obtaining their official documents.
The report reviewed a horrific toll of documented violations committed by the Ministry of Interior's agencies during al-Shaar's tenure (April 2011 - November 2018), amounting to 256,364 violations. These statistics include:
- 10,452 civilians were killed by police and Political Security forces, including 803 children and 737 women.
- 115 detainees died under torture in Criminal and Political Security branches.
- 1,785 people remain forcibly disappeared in Criminal and Political Security branches.
- 110 detainees died in civilian prisons as a result of torture, medical neglect, and malnutrition.
- 843 defecting police officers and personnel were executed.
- 11,267 property confiscation measures were implemented, 115,836 travel bans were issued, and 112,000 search warrants were issued.
- 1,661 forcibly disappeared persons were registered as deceased in civil registry offices since 2018.
The report confirmed that Al-Shaar bears direct and indirect legal responsibility under international law. He either directly ordered the commission of these crimes, or he knew about them and took no action to stop them, which makes him criminally liable under the principle of "command responsibility." The network emphasized that these crimes against humanity and war crimes are not subject to a statute of limitations, and no political settlement can grant immunity to their perpetrators.
Zaman Al-Wasl
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